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AN  INQUIllY 


INTO 


m  NATltUi  DEATH, 


OR 


DEATH  FROM  OLD  AGE. 


DEVET-OPfXG  A  NEW  AND  CERTAIN    METHOD   OF    PREVENTING 
THE  CONSOLIDATION  OR  OSSIFICATION  OF  THE  BODY, 
AND   OF   THUS   INDEFINITELY   PROLONG- 
ING VIGOROUS,    ELASTIC,   AND 
BUOYANT  HEALTH ; 


AND   OF 


RENDERING  PARTURITION  EASY  ANT)  SAFE. 


BY  HOMER  BOSTWICK,  M.D., 

AUTHOR   OF    "the   FAMILY   PHFSICIAN,"    "HINTS  TO    YOLNG    PHYSICIANS,"   VARIOUS 
WORKS   Q.y   SEXUAL   DISEASES,    ETC.,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"  The  human  frame,  as  a  machine,  is  perfect,— it  contains  within  itself  no 
marks  by  which  we  can  possibly  predict  its  decay  ;  it  is  apparently  intend- 
ed to  go  on  for  ever." — Jh-.  Munroe''s  Anatomical  Lectures. 


NEW  YORK: 
STRINGER  &  TOWNSEND,  PUBLISHERS, 

22-2  BROADWAY. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1851,  by 

HOMER  BOSTWICK,  M.D., 

in  the  Clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 

District  of  New  York. 


do 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

The  Changes  in  the  Body  during  its  progress  from  the  Womb 

to  the  Grave, ■'■ 

The  blood  becoir.es  unhealthy  and  putrid.  The  circulation  becomes 
slower  ;  the  fluids  of  the  body  disappear  and  dry  up,  and  thus, 
Man  dies  little  by  little. 

CHAPTER  11. 

On  the  causes  of  the  changes  which  occur  in  the  Body  during 
its  progress  to  old  age;  Analysis  of  the  Blood  and 
Bones ;  The  Chemical  difference  between  young  and  old 
animals,  &c,,      ......•••      4 

CHAPTER  III. 

On  the  Nature  of  the  Solid  Earthy  :\Iatter,  which,  by  gradual 
accumulation  in  the  Body,  brings  on  those  Changes  which 
terminate  in  Old  Age  and  Natural  Death,  ...       8 

CHAPTER   IV. 

On  the  source  of  the  Phosphate  of  Lime,  &c.,  which  by  chok- 
ing up  and  consolidating  the  Body  produces  Old  Age  and 
Death;  Table  of  Diet;  Adulterations  of  Food,  Medicines, 
and  Seasonings ;  Roguery  and  deception  practiced  on  the 
public ;  Constituents  of  Wheat  and  other  grains ;  Disease 
of  Milk  and  Meat ;  Analysis  of  different  Waters,  their  ef- 
fects on  health,  &c.,  &c., H 

CHAPTER  V. 

Proofs  that  the  Calcareous  Earthy  Mattel  of  the  Body  is  denv- 
ed  solely  from  the  Food  and  Drink;  Table  of  Food  con- 
sumed by  a  Horse  in  24  hours ;  Table  of  Food  consumed 
by  a  Cow  in  24  hours, 58 


IV  "  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

PAGE 

Additional  proofs  that  the  calcareous  earthy  matter  of  the  Body 
is  derived  solely  from  the  Food  and  Drink;  Table  giving 
the  Composition  of  the  Roots  of  the  Teeth ;  First  Teeth 
of  Children;  Teeth  of  Adults;  Enamel  of  the  Teeth  ;  Spe- 
cimen of  Ossification  of  the  Arteries  and  Veins  in  posses- 
sion of  the  Author, 71 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Proofs  that  the  Duration  of  Life  is  Proportionate  to  the  amount 
of  Earthy  Substances  presented  in  the  Food  and  Drink ; 
Great  age  of  Birds ;  Population  of  London,  their  remarkable 
health ;  Table  of  Food,  &c. ;  Table  of  Mortality,  showing 
that  there  are  fewer  deaths  in  London,  in  proportion  to  the 
same  number  of  Inhabitants,  than  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world ;  Primitive  Christians  of  the  East,  their  Longevity, 
&c. ;  Remarkable  Longevity  of  the  Author's  own  family ; 
Anecdote  of  Washington ;  Table  giving  an  average  dura- 
tion of  life  of  Physicians,  Lawyers,  Divines,  &c.,      .  82 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Various  opinions  respecting  the  Preservation  of  Life,  and  the 

Nature  of  Calculi,  Gravel,  and  Bladder  Diseases,         .         .  122 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Continuation  of  the  same  subject,  cause  of  Stone  and  Gravel  in 

the  Bladder,  Gouty  Concretions,         .         .  .         .136 

CHAPTER  X. 

On  the  Cause  of  Motion,  Secretion,  Digestion,  &c. ;  and  the 
Nature  and  Composition  of  the  Brain  and  Nervous  Sys- 
tem ;  Analytical  Tables,  &c., 140 

CHAPTER  XL 
General  Summary  and  Practical  Suggestions,   ....  144 


INTE0DUCTION. 


The  author  is  fully  aware,  that  in  the  following 
pages,  conclusions  have  been  arrived  at,  and  practices 
proposed,  startling  and  opposed  to  the  preconceived 
opinions  of  general  readers.  This  consideration, 
however,  has  had  no  influence  in  the  statement  of 
these  conclusions,  nor  in  the  recommendation  of  those 
practices.  Truth  without  mystery,  intentional  error, 
or  the  fear  of  man,  is  the  motto  best  suited  to  this 
subject,  and  to  serve  the  public.  Everything  of  a 
metaphysical  or  speculative  character  has  been  care- 
fully avoided  ;  so  that  whosoever  may  feel  disposed 
to  raise  objections,  must  do  so  not  in  accordance  with 
any  whim,  prejudice  or  superstition  which  may  afilict 
him,  but  by  denying  either  the  truth  of  the  premises, 
or  the  legitimacy  of  the  deductions.  Let  it  not  be 
said  that  the  life  of  man  camiot  be  prolonged  to  many 


VI  INTRODUCTION. 

times  the  present  period  of  his  existence,  because  it 
is  not  so.  Dr.  Lardner  and  his  dictum  of  Atlantic 
Steam  Traveling  is  illustrative  of  this  folly.  It  docs 
not  follow,  that  because  a  thing  is  not,  or  has  not 
been,  that  therefore  it  cannot  be.  Yet  Prejudice  is 
ever  a  dead  weight  dragging  at  the  chariot  wheels  of 
Progression.  It  is  crazy  with  old  crotchets  and  saws, 
and  goes  its  way  mumbling  like  a  poor  imbecile  with 
no  lightning  in  its  blood.  You  meet  it  on  the  tops  of 
mountains,  in  valleys,  and  ancient  cities.  It  is  al- 
ways the  same.  Antiquated  ideas,  rotten  by  the 
action  of  time — make  up  its  w^hole  brain  and  utter- 
ance. It  is  deaf,  blind,  and  to  all  mighty  purpose, 
dumb  as  the  stones.  It  can  see  only  in  one  direc- 
tion, and  lives  as  it  were  in  an  eternal  twilight.  If 
a  new  sun  were  to  burst  through  the  heaven's  con- 
cave over  its  head,  it  would  scarcely  believe  it — or, 
if  it  did,  what  dubious  words  would  it  utter  ?  The 
sun  would  assuredly  be  a  God's  bastard,  a  false 
light,  deceiving  at  last  the  possible  senses.  Thus, 
does  Prejudice  reject  all  new  truths — thus  it  laughs 
at  all  "  regenerative  schemes." 

But  there  is  hope  of  the  world  enlarging  its  creed 
even  in  the  department  of  knowledge  we  are  now 


INTRODUCTION.  Vll 

treating,  as  the  following  paragraph  from  a  weekly 
paper  of  large  circulation  testifies. 

"  Longevity. — There  is  nothing  in  the  system  of  na- 
ture which,  in  our  present  state  of  knowledge,  appears  so 
unintelligible  as  the  scale  of  longevity.  It  must  be  ad- 
mitted, indeed,  that  our  knowledge  upon  this  subject  is 
very  imperfect ;  for  all  that  is  known  of  domesticated  ani- 
mals, and  the  accidental  facts  which  have  been  preserved 
concerning  others,  tend  to  the  strange  result,  that  lon- 
gevity bears  no  relation  either  to  strength,  size,  com- 
plexity of  organization,  or  intellectual  power.  True  it 
is  that  birds,  which  seem  to  rank  higher  than  beasts  in 
the  scale  of  being,  are  also  much  longer  lived.  Thirty  is 
a  great  age  for  a  horse  ;  dogs  usually  live  only  from  four- 
teen years  to  twenty  ;  but  it  is  known  that  the  goose  and 
the  hawk  exceed  a  century.  But  fish,  evidently  a  lower 
rank  in  creation  than  either,  are  longer  lived  than  birds  ; 
it  has  been  said  of  some  species,  and  of  certain  snakes 
also,  that  they  grow  as  long  as  they  live,  and,  as  far  as 
we  know,  live  till  some  accident  puts  an  end  to  their  in- 
definite term  of  life.  And  the  toad  !  It  cannot  indeed 
be  said  that  the  toad  lives  forever,  but  many  of  these 
animals  who  were  cased  up  at  the  general  deluge,  are 
likely  to  live  till  they  are  baked  in  their  cells  at  the 
general  conflagration." 

The  individual  existence  of  all  organized  bodies  is 

temporary  ;  no  animal  escapes  the  hard  necessity  of 

dying  ;  nor  is  man  exempt  from  this.     The  particu- 


VIU  INTRODUCTION. 

lar  history  of  cacli  function  shows  that  in  the  first 
periods  of  old  age,  and  often  before,  the  organs  be- 
come deteriorated  ;  that  many  completely  cease  to  act ; 
that  others  are  absorbed  and  disappear  ;  and,  lastly, 
that  in  decrepitude,  life  is  reduced  to  a  few  miserable 
remnants  of  the  vital,  and  some  of  the  nutritive  func- 
tions in  an  imperfect  state.  In  this  condition,  the 
most  trifling  external  cause,  the  slightest  blow  or 
fall,  is  sufficient  to  arrest  one  of  the  functions  indis- 
pensable to  life,  when  death  invariably  follows,  as  the 
last  degree  in  the  destruction  of  the  organs  and  func- 
tions. But  a  small  number  of  persons  die  solely 
through  the  effects  of  age ;  scarcely  one  in  a  mil- 
lion.— Magendie^s  Physiology.     By  Dr»  Revere, 

Now  comes  the  question.  Has  the  Creator  so  or- 
dered this  great  destruction  of  human  life  by  causes 
apparently  accidental,  or  do  they  occur  from  the  want 
of  knowledge,  from  carelessness,  or  from  causes  which 
we  have  been  endeavoring  to  point  out  ?  These  are 
questions  of  vital  importance  to  the  whole  human 
family,  and  if  I  have  been  successful  in  solving  some 
of  them,  I  shall  feel  myself  amply  paid  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  having  done  a  little,  while  God  spared 
my  existence,  to  benefit  and  prolong  the  life  of  my 

fellow-man. 

Homer  Bostwick,  M.D.,  504  Broadway. 


THE  CAUSE  OF  NATUEAL  DEATH. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Changes  in  the  Body  during  its  Progress  from 
the  Womh  to  the  Grave. 

The  first  visible  state  of  a  human  being,  (in  em- 
bryo,) is  a  small,  globulous,  pulpy  or  jelly-like  sub- 
stance, approaching  the  nature  of  albumen  or  the 
matter  which  constitutes  the  "white  of  an  egg.  In 
this  pulpy  substance,  or  globule,  various  particles  of 
more  solid  matter  begin  to  appear.  These  particles 
of  matter  gradually  increase  in  bulk  and  density, 
until  they  come  in  contact  with  each  other.  These 
different  points  of  contact  are  slowly  modified  into  so 
many  joints  or  hinges  ;  and  thus,  by  degrees,  a  dis- 
tinct framework  of  bone,  or  skeleton,  is  formed. 
Durins:  the  formation  of  this  bonv  fabric,  the  sur- 
rounding  pulpy  matter  gradually  accumulates,  and 
changes  in  form,  until,  at  length,  that  degree  of  or- 
ganization is  produced  which  constitutes  a  foetus,  or 
child  in  the  womb.  This  foetus  becomes  larger  and 
firmer  up  to  the  time  of  birth,  when  the  state  of  in- 

2 


2  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

fancy  begins.  The  same  process  of  consolidation 
wliicli  commences  "with  the  first  visible  state  of  exist- 
ence, still  continuing,  the  being  passes  through  the 
different  stages  of  life,  called  infancy,  childhood, 
youth,  manhood,  old  age,  and  decrepitude,  to  that 
condition  which  is  termed  "  Natural  Death." 
Each  of  these  stages  is  characterised  by  an  increased 
degree  of  hardness  and  solidity.  The  bones,  ten- 
dons, cartilages,  ligaments,  tissues,  membranes,  both 
of  a  cellular  and  fibrous  nature — the  coverings  and 
the  very  substance  of  the  stomach,  liver,  lungs,  and 
other  organs,  gradually  increase  in  density  and  firm- 
ness. The  joints  become  rigid  and  dry,  and  begin 
to  grate  and  crack  when  they  are  moved — the  syno- 
vial fluid,  which  oils  and  softens  them,  being  dimin- 
ished in  quantity,  and  rendered  too  thick  and  glutin- 
ous to  be  of  much  service.  The  heart,  also,  and  the 
whole  muscular  system,  as  well  as  the  brain,  spinal 
marrow,  nerves,  eyes,  &c.,  partake  of  the  same  con- 
solidating process,  and,  ultimately,  present  a  firmer, 
harder  and  more  rigid  texture — millions  of  the  mi- 
nute, or  capillary  vessels,  which  ramify,  or  spread 
like  the  branches  of  a  tree,  throughout  the  whole 
body,  gradually  choke  up  and  change  into  solid  fibres, 
no  longer  pervious  to  the  blood.  The  larger  vessels, 
both  arteries  and  veins,  also  become  indurated,  ossi- 
fied, contracted  in  diameter,  and  diminished  in  flexi- 
bility. The  fluids  of  the  body  become  thick  and  pu- 
trid, and  loaded  with  earthy  particles.     The  skiii 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  6 

becomes  husky  and  -wrinkled,  the  hair  falls  off,  the 
teeth  drop  out,  the  movements  of  the  body  become 
awkward,  slow,  and  uncertain,  the  memory  fails,  the 
eyes  grow  dim,  deafness  comes  on,  the  nerves  of 
taste,  smell,  and  general  feeling  or  sensation,  lose 
their  wonted  susceptibility,  and  thus,  the  whole  sys- 
tem gradually  choking  up,  the  circulation  slowers, 
and  ultimately  ceases  altogether.  The  blood  also 
becomes  stationary,  thickens  or  congeals,  stagnates  in 
the  vessels,  and  what  is  called  "  Natural  Death,"  or 
"  Death  from  Old  Age,"  is  the  consequence.  The 
body  thus  dies  little  by  little — once  elastic,  healthy, 
active  and  lively,  keenly  sensible  of  passing  events — 
of  the  pains  and  pleasures  of  the  world,  it  becomes 
rigid,  diseased,  feeble,  and  unconscious — lost  to  the 
cares  and  enjoyments  of  life,  it  sinks  down,  trembles, 
and  totters  in  its  efforts — power  and  motion  gradual- 
ly diminish — life  is  extinguished  by  successive  grada- 
tions, and  death  is  the  last  term  in  the  succession. 
Truly,  "  In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death  !"  We 
are  dying  even  during  the  most  active  periods  of  our 
existence ! 


CHAPTER  II. 

On  the   Cause  of  the  Changes  which  occur  in  the 
Body  during  its  Progress  to  Old  Age. 

First. — If  we  analyze  the  blood  of  a  young  ani- 
mal, it  will  be  found  to  contain,  among  other  sub- 
stances, a  certain  amount  of  solid  matter. 

Second. — If  the  blood  of  an  aged  animal,  of  the 
same  species,  be  analyzed,  it  will  be  found  to  contain 
a  much  greater  amount  of  solid  matter. 

Third. — There  is  a  much  greater  amount  of  solid 
matter  in  the  secretions,  as  milk,  urine,  faeces,  &c., 
of  old  than  of  young  animals. 

Fourth. — The  flesh,  liver,  cartilage,  and  other 
eatable  parts  of  old  animals  are  drier  and  tougher 
than  corresponding  parts  of  young  ones. 

Fifth. — The  chemical  diiference  in  these  parts  of 
old  and  young  animals  consists  only  in  the  greater 
and  less  proportions  of  solid  matter. 

Sixth. — The  bones  of  a  child,  or  other  young  ani- 
mals, are  light,  spongy,  and  elastic,  while  those  of  an 
aged  animal  are  heavy,  dense,  and  rigid : — any  one 
can  distinguish  the  bones  of  a  lamb  or  a  calf,  for  in- 
stance, from  those  of  a  sheep  or  an  ox,  not  only  by 
the  size,  but  by  the  difference  in  weight,  texture, 
and  form. 

Seventh. — When  analyzed,  the  bones  of  young  and 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  5 

aged  animals  are  found  to  differ  greatly  in  their 
amount  of  solid  earthy  matter.  The  difference  may 
be  represented  by  the  following  proportions  : — 

Gelatine.    Earthy  Solids.    Total. 

Bones  of  a  child,  lamb,  &c., 3 1 4 

»      "    "     Middle-aged  person, 2 2 4 

"      "    «    Aged  person,  sheep,  or  ox,  .1 3 4 


Here  we  observe  that  the  proportions  of  gelatine  and 
earthy  solids  are  entirely  reversed  in  the  progress  of 
the  animal  to  maturity  and  old  age.  The  difference 
in  the  nature  of  the  bones  of  young  and  old  animals 
may  be  illustrated  by  the  following  experiments  : — 
Dissolve  three  ounces  of  common  glue,  and  mix  it 
with  one  ounce  of  chalk  in  fine  powder — the  com- 
pound will  be  comparatively  elastic  and  yielding,  and 
may  •  represent  the  bones  of  a  child.  Now  reverse 
the  proportions,  viz.,  one  ounce  glue  and  three  ounces 
chalk,  and  the  mixture  will  represent  the  bones  of  an 
aged  animal,  which,  being  very  short  and  brittle,  in 
consequence  of  containing  so  large  a  quantity  of 
earth,  and  so  little  gelatine  or  glue,  to  hold  it  to- 
gether, the  individual  is  at  all  times  liable  to  the 
most  serious  injuries  from  fractures  and  bruises,  the 
least  accident,  even  an  ordinary  fall,  being  sometimes 
sufficient  to  shake  or  break  him  to  pieces,  like  a  plas- 
ter image.  The  child,  or  other  young  animal,  whose 
bones  are  little  more  than  masses  of  cartilage,  is  on 
the  contrary,  so  highly  flexible,  India-rubber-like, 
that,  its  limbs  yielding  in  every  direction,  a  thousand 


6  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

falls  and  knocks  have  scarcely  more  than  a  momen- 
tary effect.  The  middle-aged  person  is  more  solid 
and  brittle  than  the  child,  but  less  so  than  the  aged 
individual,  and  we  perceive  a  corresponding  difference 
in  proportion  to  age. 

Eighth. — The  substance  of  the  brain,  spinal  mar- 
row, and  nerves,  is  much  more  solid  and  resisting  in 
old  than  in  young  animals. 

Ninth. — When  analyzed,  the  substance  of  the 
brain,  &c.,  in  old  animals,  is  found  to  contain  a 
greater  amount  of  solid  earthy  matter  than  in  young 
ones. 

Tenth. — The  substance  of  the  eye  partakes  of  the 
same  consolidating  process.  In  infancy  and  child- 
hood, the  eyes  are  bright,  sparkling,  and  crystalline, 
and  the  sight  is  quick  and  powerful.  In  old  age  they 
become  dull,  lifeless,  and  glassy,  and  the  power  of 
vision  faint  and  indistinct. 

Eleventh. — When  the  eyes  of  old  and  young  ani- 
mals are  analyzed,  no  difference  is  found  but  in  the 
proportion  of  solid  matter  entering  into  their  compo- 
sition. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  the  body  at  large.  The 
only  chemical  difference  to  be  found  in  the  body,  as 
a  whole,  of  an  aged,  enfeebled,  decrepit  being,  and 
an  active,  energetic  youth,  is  the  amount  of  solid 
matter  which  enters  their  composition. 

Twelfth. — The  specific  gravity  of  the  whole  body 


.  CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  7 

of  an  aged  animal,  is  much  greater  than  the  specific 
gravity  of  the  lohole  body  of  a  young  animal. 

Thirteenth. — The  specific  gravity  of  the  various 
parts  of  the  body  is  much  greater  in  old  than  in 
young  animals. 

These  difierences  in  the  solidity,  weight,  texture, 
flexibility,  &c.,  of  the  body,  at  different  stages  of  its 
existence,  evidently  arise  from  the  gradual  accumu- 
lation of  solidj  earthy  elements^  and  from  no  other 
cause. 


CHAPTER  III. 

0)1  the  J\*ature  of  the  Solid  Earthy  Matter^  lohick^ 
by  gradually  accumulating  in  the  Body^  brings 
on  those  Changes  which  terminate  in  Old  Age 
and  JVatural  Death. 

If  wc  take  the  bones  of  an  animal,  and  place  them 
in  a  crucible,  in  an  open  fire,  and  keep  them  at  a  red 
heat  until  all  the  carbonaceous  and  other  matter  dis- 
appears, or  until  nothing  is  left  but  solid  gray  or 
white  ashes  ;  and,  if  these  ashes  are  boiled  for  a 
short  time  in  distilled  water,  all  the  alkaline  or  other 
soluble  matter  will  be  dissolved  by  the  water,  and  no- 
thing left  but  solid  earthy  matter.  Other  processes, 
(but  which  are  too  complex  for  the  general  reader, 
and  could  only  be  repeated  by  the  adept  in  Chemis- 
try,) will  then  determine  these  earthy  ashes  to  con- 
sist of — 

Parts. 
Phosphate  of  Lime,  about 50 

Carbonate  of  Lime 10 

Sulphate  of  Lime,  sometimes  with  traces  of  other 

earths,  as  Magnesia,  &c 10 

The  Gelatine  which  has  been  burned  away  in  the 
crucible,  and  the  sahne  substances  dissolved  by 
the  distilled  water,  will  make  up  the  loss,  viz 30 

Total,  100 


THE  CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        9 

If  portions  of  the  flesh  or  tendon,  cartilage,  liver, 
lungs,  kidney,  or  any  other  part  of  the  body,  even 
the  brain  and  spinal  marrow,  be  subjected  to  the 
same  process,  the  same  substances  will  be  found,  but, 
of  course,  in  less  and  variable  proportions,  according 
to  the  state  and  habits  of  the  animal. 

The  blood,  also,  by  the  same  process,  will  be  found 
to  contain  the  same  earthy  elements,  in  proportions 
varying  from  5  to  12  or  14  per  cent.  Brande, 
Thompson,  and  other  chemists,  give  the  following 
composition  of  blood  : — 

Water 78.0 

Albumen,  fibrine,  muco-extractive  matter,  osma- 
zone,  an  oil,  sulphates  of  potass  and  soda, 
phosphates  and  muriates  of  soda,  and  ammo- 
nia       12.0 

Phosphate  of  lime,  magnesia,  and  other  earthy  salts ....      10.0 

Total,  100.0 

The  coloring  matter  of  blood,  when  incinerated, 
according  to  Brande,  affords  a  residue  consisting  of : 

Oxide  of  Iron 50.0 

Subphosphate  of  Iron 7.5 

Carbonic  acid  and  loss 16.5 

Phosphate  of  lime  with  magnesia  and  lime  26.0 

Total,  100.0 

The  urine,  (which  often  deposits  an  earthy  sedi- 
ment in  cooling,)  foeces,  milk,  bile,  gastric  juice,  sa- 
liva,  synovia,  mucus  from  the  nostrils,  tears  from 

2* 


10        THE  CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH. 

the  eyes,  liquid  perspirable  matter  or  sweat  from  tlie 
body,  the  matter  which  discharges  in  fluor  albus,  gon- 
orrhoea, ulcer  abscesses,  menstruation,  and  in  pro- 
creation, (the  fluid  seminales,)  have  all  been  sub- 
jected to  analysis,*  and  found  to  contain  more  or 
less  of  the  phosphate  of  lime,  and  other  earthy  com- 
pounds. 

We  have  now  found  that  the  solid  earthy  matter 
which  by  gradual  accumulation  in  the  body,  brings 
on  ossification,  rigidity,  decrepitude,  and  death,  is 
principally  phosphate  of  limc^  or  bone  matter  ;  car- 
bonate of  lime ^  or  common  chalk,  and  sulphate  of 
limey  or  plaster  of  Paris,  with,  occasionally  magne- 
sia, and  other  earthy  substances. 

*  These  results  are  borne  out  by  the  experiments  of 
Brande,  Hatchett,  Dr.  Bostock,  and  many  British  as  well  as 
continental  chemists. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

On  the  source  of  the  Phosphate  of  Lime,  ^*c., 
which  by  choking  up  and  consolidating  the  Body 
produces  Old  Age  and  Death. 

We  have  seen  that  a  process  of  consolidation  be- 
gins at  the  earliest  period  of  existence,  and  continues 
■without  interruption  until  the  body  is  changed  from  a 
comparatively  fluid,  elastic,  and  energetic  state,  to  a 
solid,  earthy,  rigid,  inactive  condition,  which  termin- 
ates in  death, — that  infancy,  childhood,  youth,  man- 
hood, old  age,  and  decrepitude,  are  but  so  many  differ- 
ent conditions  of  the  body  or  stages  of  the  process  of 
consolidation  or  ossification — that  the  only  difference  in 
the  body  between  old  age  and  youth,  is  the  greater  den- 
sity, toughness,  and  rigidity,  and  the  greater  propor- 
tion of  calcareous  earthy  matter  which  enters  into  its 
composition.  The  question  now  arises,  what  is  the 
source  of  the  calcareous  earthy  matter  which  thus  ac- 
cumulates in  the  system  1  It  seems  to  be  regarded 
as  an  axiom,  that  all  the  solids  of  the  body  are  con- 
tinually built  up  and  renewed  by  the  blood.  If  so, 
everything  which  these  solids  contain  is  derived  from 
the  blood  ;  the  solids  contain  phosphate  and  carbonate 
of  lime,  which  are  therefore  derived  from  the  blood,  in 
which,  as  already  shown,  these  earthy  substances  are 
invariably  found  to  a  greater  or  less  extent.     The 


12  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

blood  is  renewed  from  the  chyle  ;  which  is  always 
found,  upon  analysis,  to  contain  the  same  earthy  sub- 
stances as  the  blood  and  the  solids.  The  chyle  is 
renewed  from  the  chyme  ;  and  ultimately,  from  the 
food  and  drink.  The  food  and  drink,  which  nourish 
the  system,  must,  at  the  same  time,  be  the  primary 
source  of  the  calcareous  earthy  matter  which  enters 
into  the  composition  of  the  chyme,  the  chyle,  and  the 
blood ;  and  which  is  ultimately  deposited  in.  all  the 
tissues,  membranes,  vessels,  and  solids  of  the  body — 
producing  old  age,  decrepitude,  and  "  Natural 
Death."  The  food  and  drink,  with  the  earthy 
choking-up  matter  they  contain,  are  first  outside^  or 
external  to  the  body  ;  the  cause  of  obstruction  and 
ossification,  and,  therefore,  of  disease,  old  age,  and 
Natural  Death,  is  first  external  to — outside  of  the 
body,  and  is  therefore  entirely  within  our  own  power 
and  control  ! 

Having  traced  the  earthy  matter  which  ossifies  and 
chokes  up  the  system,  to  the  food  and  drink,  it  be- 
comes of  the  greatest  importance  to  know  what 
amount  of  this  matter  each  article  of  diet  contains. 
The  following  table  exhibits  the  amount  in  each  of 
the  articles  named  : — 

TABLE  OF  DIET. 

25,000  lbs.  of  lbs. 

Common  table  salt  contain     500 

Llaize,  or  Indian  Com    360 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  13 

25,000  lbs.  of  lbs. 

Peppers,     Cinamon,    Nutmegs,    Cloves,    Ginger,   Coffee, 

Cocoa.  Bark,  Sarsaparilla,  &c.,  average 300 

Wheat  Flour    220  to  300 

Beans  (field  and  dried)    206 

Beans  (fresh  from  garden)     183 

Kidney  Beans 150 

Rye    140 

Oats    118 

Rice  (according  to  M.  Braconnot)    100 

Potatoes     90 

Peas   85 

Barley 65 

Beef,  jMutton.  Pork,  and  the  flesh  of  animals  and  fowls 

in  the  adult  state  generally  average 26 

Lamb,  Yeal,  and  young  animals  generally  average    ....     15 

Rice,  Arrow-root,  Tapioca,  and  Sago    20 

Fish  of  all  kinds,  including  Shell-fish  and  Turtle    18 

Linseed 17 

Beet-root,  Parsnips,  and  iVIangle  Wurzel 14 

Cheese    10 

Cabbage,  Savoy,  Brocoli.  Artichokes.  Coleworts,  Endive, 
Asparagus.    Cauliflowers,    and    greens  in   general, 

average .    6 

Turnips,  Carrots,  Onions,  Radishes,  Cress.  Celery,  Leeks, 
Spinage,  Small  Salading,  Lettuces,  Parsley,  Cucum- 
bers, Rhubarb,  ]Mushrooms,  Vegetable  jNIarrows,  and 

herbs  and  flowers  generally,  average    2 

Esrffs  of  all  kinds,  averagie 2 

Apples,  Pears,  Plums.  Cherries,  Strawberries,  Gooseber- 
ries, Raspberries,  Cranberries,  Blackberries,  ]Mulber- 
ries,  Bilberries,  Elderberries,  Sloes,  or  wild  Plums, 
Currants  of  all  kinds,  ]Melons,  Olives.  Peaches,  Apri- 
cots, Pine  Apples  Nectarines,  Tamarinds,  Dates  (4), 


14  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

25,000  lbs.  of  lbs. 

Pomegranates,  Prunes,  Raisins,  Figs,  Lemons,  Limes, 
Oranges,  Shaddocks,  (irapes,  &c 1 

Honey,  Treacle,  Sugar,  Butter,  Oil,  Vinegar,  Wines,  Cider, 
Perry,  and  Alcohol,  i.  e.  Brandy,  Rum,  Gin,  Whisky, 
Arrack,  &:c 0 

JNIilk  (according  to  the  age  and  state  of  the  animal  from 

which  it  is  taken), from 10  to  20 

Spring  water  (differs  acccording  to  the  dej)th  and  the 
nature  of  the  district  from  which  it  is  obtained), 
averages  perhaps 10 

Rain  water,  if  caught  as  it  falls  from  the  clouds,  say  in 

large  sheets  in  the  open  country   0 

Snow  and  hail  obtained  in  the  same  manner 0 

River  and  Pit  water  (contain  as  much  as  spring  water, 
besides  putrid  animal  and  vegetable  matter  and 
other  floating  or  mechanically  mixed  substances ....     10 

Distilled  Water    0 

Infusion  of  Malt  and  Hops  (ale  and  porter),  as  well  as 
the  decoctions  of  Tea,  Coffee,  Cocoa,  Chocolate,  and 
also  Ginger  Beer  Pop,  Lemonade,  Soda  Water,  &c., 
if  well  cleared,  contain  as  much  only  as  the  water 
with  which  they  are  made — the  earthy  particles  re- 
maining in  the  grounds  or  sediment. 

The  above  table  must  be  understood  to  give  the 
general  or  average  proportions  only,  as  it  is  found 
by  analysis,  that  no  two  articles,  even  of  the  same 
species,  contain  exactly  the  same  amount  of  solid 
matter  ;  they  differ  both  in  animals  and  vegetables 
according  to  the  kind  and  quantity  of  aliment,  and 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH. 


15 


the  nature  of  the  soil  and  manure  they  may  have 
lived  upon. 

It  will  be  observed  from  the  above  table,  that  arti- 
cles of  diet  differ  materially  in  their  constituent  pro- 
portions of  calcareous  earthy  matter.  Common  table 
salt,  which  is  used  in  the  preparation  of  almost  every 
kind  of  food,  and  along  with  many  of  our  meals,  con- 
tains a  fearfully  large  amount ;  and  is  productive  of 
much  greater  mischief  to  the  animal  economy  than  is 
generally  believed.  A  very  careful  examination  of 
the  various  kinds  of  salt  has  been  made  by  a  Dr. 
Henry,  the  result  of  whose  experiments  will  be  found 
in  the  following  table,  copied  from  "  Ure's  Chemi- 
cal Dictionary,"  Art.  Salt. 


15 

>-> 

CO 

15 

Pure 

§ 

o 

"S  «s 

"^     M 

o 

'■*-  _ 
o  .2 

^ 
3 

.^ 

Muriate 

KINDS  OE  SALT. 

.5  S 

iate 

gnes; 

1  ear 
riate 

1^ 

"3 

1 

of  Soda, 
or  Pure 

"o 

a  zz 

03 

1^ 

o 

C3 
O 

Salt. 

For  Bay  Salt. 

St.  Ube's 

9 

Trace 

3 

3 

23.^ 

41 

28 

40 

960 

St.  Martin's 

12 

Do. 

H 

n 

19" 

6 

25 

40* 

9591 

Oleron 

10 

Do. 

2 

2 

19j 

^ 

231 

35| 

964i 

From  Sea  Water. 

Scotch  (common) 

4 

•   • 

28 

28 

15 

in 

32j 

64A 

935J 

Scotch  (Sunday) 

1 

•   • 

111 

lU 

12 

u 

16^i29 

971 

Lymington  (com.) 

2 

•   « 

11 

11 

15 

35 

50'  63 

937 

Do.       (Cat) 

1 

•   • 

5 

5 

1 

5 

6 

12 

988 

Cheshire  Salt. 

Crusted  Rock 

10 

0.1.16 

0.3.16 

0.1 

6^ 

•    ■ 

6i'l6f 

983i 

Fishery 

1 

O.i 

O.f 

1 

11 J 

•    • 

lUl3i 

986  f 

Common 

1 

0.1 

0.4 

1 

14.^ 

14.^  16^ 

983^ 

Stoved 

1 

o.i 

0.1 

1 

15^ 

15.^ 

\1\ 

982^ 

16 


AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 


The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  bushels 
of  salt  inspected  since  18-40. 

1840  2,022,305 

1841  3,340,769 

1842  2.201,903 

1843  3,127,501 

1844  4,003,553 

The  following  table  shows  the  comparative  purity 
of  the  Onondaga  Salt,  as  compared  with  the  best 
foreign  salt,  in  100  parts. 


1845  3,762,358 

1846  3,833,581 

1847  3,951,351 

1848  4,737,126 


/ 

%-c 

'.w 

'Ti  ctf 

<*^ 

t»H 

.IL 

C  -3   cf 

CJ   S 

o 

=>  B 

o-S 

o 

o  c:'7. 

o 

<u  o 

4) 

o  « 

t;  n  0) 

S  t- 

COMPOSITION. 

t3    3 

O   o 
2=0 

ulphat 
Magn 

•gf 

12 

S    5£  ^ 

"2  o 

-4 

o 

c» 

M 

7D 

■^ 

■o      u 

■■J 

-' 

Onondaga  Coarse  Salt  . . . 

99.100 

.700 

.. 

.100 

. 

Onondaga  Dairy  Salt 

97.4G6 

1.79!! 

.    , 

,  , 

.082 

.( 

)38       .. 

.010 

Onondaga  Fine,  Liverpool 

98.899 

.877 

,    , 

.201 

,  , 

,  , 

.023 

,  , 

Onondaga  Coarse,  Geddes 

99.'i50 

.650 

,    , 

trace 

.100 

,  , 

Turks'  Island  Salt 

98.404 

1.316 

,    , 

,  , 

.280 

Cheshire  Ciuslied  Rock. . 

98.325 

.6.50 

.006 

.007 

i.obo 

St.  Ube's  Bav  Salt 

96.000 

■2.350 

•450 

trace 

.300 

.900 

St.  Martin's  Bay  Salt 

95.9.J0 

1.900 

■600 

trace 

.350 

1.200 

Scotch  (Common) 

93.5.50 

1 .500 

1-750 

,  , 

2.800 

.400 

Scotch  (Sunday) 

97.100 

1.200 

.450 

,  , 

.150 

.100 

Cheshire  Fishery 

98.675 

1.125 

.625 

.075 

.100 

Lymington  (Cat) 

93  800 

.100 

.500 

.500 

.100 

Salt  Lake,  California 

97.800 

1.120 

.i>40 

.2.30 

.610 

•• 

As  the  preservative  qualities  of  salt  depend  upon 
the  proportion  of  Chloride  of  Sodium  in  its  composi- 
tion, an  inspection  of  the  above  table  will  convince 
any  person  capable  of  being  convinced,  from  the  re- 
sults of  chemical  analysis,  that  the  salt  made  in  On- 
ondaga County  stands  first.  The  specimens  selected 
for  analysis,  were  from  a  store  in  Albany,  where  the 
salt  was  for  sale. 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH. 


IT 


The  following  Table  is  from  Pereira  on  Food  and  Diet. 
It  shows  the  Mean  Time  of  Digestion  of  the  diiferent  Arti- 
cles of  Diet,  natm-ally,  in  the  Stomach,  and  artificially  in 
Phials,  on  a  Bath. 

The  proportion  of  gastric  juice  to  aliment,  in  artificial  digestion,  was  gen- 
rally  calculated  at  one  ounce  of  the  former  to  one  drachm  of  the  latter,  the 
bath  being  icept  as  near. as  practicable  at  the  natural  temperature,  100°  Fah- 
renheit, with  frequent  agitation. 


ARTICLES  OF  DIET. 


Rice 

Pigs'  feet,  soused 

Tripe,  soused 

Eggs,  wliipped , 

Trout,  salmon,  fresh 

Trout,  salmon,  fresh - 

Soup,  barley 

Apples,  sweet,  mellow .... 

Venison  steak 

Brains,  animal 

Sago 

Tapioca    

Barley 

Milk 

Liver,  beePs,  fresh 

Eggs,  fresh 

Codfish,  cured  dry 

Apples,  sour,  mellow 

Caobage,  with  vinegar  . . . 

Milk 

Eggs,  fresh 

Turkey,  wild   

Turkey,  domestic 

Gelatine 

Turkey,  domestic 

Goose,  wild 

Pig,  sucking 

Lamb,  fresh 

Hash,  meat  and  vegetables 

Beans,  pod 

Cake,  sponge 

Parsnips  

Potatoes,  Irish 

Potatoes,  Irish 

Cabbage,  head 

'Spinal  marrow,  animal 

Chicken,  full  grown 

Custard 

Beef,  with  salt  only, 


MEAN  TIME  OF  CHYMIFICATIOX. 


IX  ST05IACH. 


Preparation. 


Boiled 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Raw 
Boiled 
Fried 
Boiled 
Raw 
Broiled 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Broiled 
Raw 
Boiled 
Raw 
Raw 
Raw 
Roasted 
Roasted 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Roasted 
Roasted 
Roasted 
Broiled 
Warmed 
Boiled 
Baked 
Boiled 
Roasted 
Baked 
Raw 
Boiled 
Fricasseed 
Baked 
Boiled 


H.  M. 


30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
35 
45 
45 


15 
15 
18 
25 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 


2  30 


30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
40 
45 
45 
46 


IN   PHIALS. 


Pvepai'ation. 


Whipped 
Boiled 


Masticated 

Boiled 

Boiled 
Boiled 

Boiled 

Cut  fine 

Raw 

Boiled 

Masticated 

Shaved 

Raw 


Boiled 


Broken 
Mashed 


Masticated 
Boiled 

Baked 


H.  M. 


4 
3  30 


6  45 

4  30 
3  15 
3  20 


4 
6 
4 
5 
8  30 


15 
30 
15 


10 
4 


15 
45 


4  45 


6  16 
6  45 


12  30 

5  25 

6  30 
9  30 


18 


AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 


ARTICLES  OF  DIET. 


MEAN  TIME  OF  CHYMIFICATION. 


Apples,  sour,  hanl 

Oysters,  I'rcsli , 

Eggs,  fresli 

Bass,  stripoil,  fresh  

Beef,  fresh,  lean,  rare 

Beefsteak 

Pork,  recently  salted 

Pork,  recently  salted 

Mutton,  fresh 

Mutton,  fresh 

Soup,  bean 

Cliickeu  soup 

Aponeurosis 

Dumpling,  apple 

Cake,  corn 

Oysters,  fresh 

Pork,  recently  salted 

Poiksteak 

Mutton,  fresh 

Bread,  corn 

Carrot,  orange 

Sausage,  fresh 

Flounder,  fresh,  

Cattish,  fresh 

Oysters,  fresh 

Beef,  fresh,  lean,  dry 

Beef,  with  mustard,  &c 

Butter 

Cheese,  old,  strong 

Soup,  mutton   

Oyster  soup 

Bread,  wheat,  fresh 

Turnips,  flat 

Potatoes,  Irish 

Eggs,  fresh 

Eggs,  fresh 

Green  corn  and  beans 

Beets    

Salmons,  salted 

Beef 

Veal,  fresh 

Fowls,  domestic 

Fowls,  domestic 

Ducks,  domestic 

Sou]),  beef,  vegetables,  and  bread 

Heart,  animal 

Beef,  old,  hard,  salted  

Pork,  recently  salted 

Soup,  marrow  bones 

Cartilage 


IN  STOMACH. 


Prejiaratum. 


Raw 
Raw 

Soft  boiled 
Broiled 
Roasted 
Broiled 
Raw 
Stewed 
Broiled 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Baked 
Roasted 
Broiled 
Broiled 
Roasted 
Baked 
Boiled 
Broiled 
Fried 
Fried 
Stewed 
Roasted 
Boiled 
Melted 
Raw 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Baked 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Hard  Boiled 
Fried 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Boiled 
Fried 
Broiled 
Boiled 
Roasted 
Roasted 
Boiled 
Fried 
Boiled 
P'ried 
Boiled 
Boiled 


H.M 


.00 
55 


15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 


3  20 


3  30 
3  30 


IN    PHIALS. 


Preparation. 


Entire  pieces 
Raw,  entire 
Soft  boiled 

Roasted 

Masticated 

Raw 

Masticated 


Boiled 


30 
30 
30 
30 
45 
45 


4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

15 

4 

15 

4 

15 

4 

15 

Mashed 


Stewed 
Roasted 


Masticated 


Masticated 

Mashed 
Hard  boiled 


Boiled 
Masticated 

Entire  piece 

Masticated 


H.M. 

18 
7  30 
6  30 


8  15 
8  30 

6  45 


6  30 


6  15 


8  25 
7  45 


7  15 


4  30 

8  30 

8 


7  45 
12  30 

6  30 


13  30 


10 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH. 


19 


ARTICLES  OF  DIET. 


MEAN  TLME  OF  CHYMIFICATION. 


IN  STOMACH. 


Pork,  recently  salted 

Veal,  fresh 

Ducks,  wild 

Suet,  mutton 

Pork,  fat  and  lean  . . . 

Tendon  

Suet,  beef,  fresh 

Beefsteak  

Beefsteak 

Beef 

Mutton,  fresh 

Cream 

Cheese,  old,  strong  ., 
Cheese,  new,  mild  .. , 

Oil.  olive 

Tendon  

Cartilage 

Bone,  beefs  solid 

Bone,  hog's,  solid 

Parsnips 

Parsnips 

Carrot,  orange 

Carrot,  orange 

Potatoes,  Irish 

Cabbage  

Peach,  mellow 

Peach,  mellow 


Preparation. 


Boiled 

Fried 

Roasted 

Boiled 

Roasted 

Boiled 

Boiled 

Broiled 

Raw 

Boiled 

Broiled 


H.M 


Boiled 
Raw 

Raw 

Boiled 


30 
30 
30 
30 
16 
30 
30 


IN    PHIALS. 


Preparation. 


H.M. 


4  30 


Masticated 


Divided 

Masticated 
Entire  piece 

Cut  fine 

Cut  fine 
Entire  piece 
Unmasticated 

Raw 
Entire  piece 

Divided 

Raw 
Entire  piece 

Divided 
Entire  piece 
Entire  piece 
Entire  piece 
Entire  piece 
Entire  piece 

Raw 
Entire  piece 

Boiled 

Cut  small 

Mashed 


6  30 


10 

12  46 
12 

8 

8  15 

9 

8  30 
25  30 
18 


8  30 
60 
24 
12 
80 
80 

13  15 
18 

12  30 
17 
14 
20 
10 

6 


15 


Many  elaborate  articles,  by  "  learned  philoso- 
phers," have  been  written  to  account  for  the  declared 
absolute  necessity  for  the  use  of  salt  in  carrying  on 
the  functions  of  the  body.  But  this  supposed  neces- 
sity for  the  use  of  salt  is  merely  one  of  the  theories 
of  the  day  to  account  for  the  different  phenomena 
connected  vrith  organization  and  life.  Such  a  theory 
is  not  founded  in  fact.  Whole  nations  of  powerful, 
active  persons  are  known  to  have  subsisted  without 
even   the  knowledge  of  salt.     The   Author  knows 


20  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

many  individuals  Avlio  have  lived  vrithout  salt  for 
years,  not  only  '^>itliout  disadvantage,  but  with  bene- 
ficial results.  Of  course,  persons  who  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  consuming  salt  very  freely,  might  suffer 
evil  by  suddenly  abandoning  its  use,  just  as  they 
might  by  any  other  sudden  change  of  habits  ; — but  if 
the  change  is  made  hy  degrees^  and  the  old  articles 
of  diet  gradually  removed  by  the  substitution  of  new 
ones,  such  changes  may  be  wrought  in  the  body  with- 
out injury  as  would  appear  at  first  sight  incredible. 

Bread,  from  wheaten  flour,  when  considered  in  re- 
lation to  the  amount  of  nutritious  matter  it  contains, 
may  with  justice  be  called  the  "  Staff  of  Life  :" 
but  in  regard  to  the  amount  of  earthy  matter,  we 
may  with  equal  justice  pronounce  it  the  "  Staff  of 
Death  !"  Wheat  differs  considerably  in  the  amount 
of  earthy  ingredients  it  contains,  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  soil  and  manure  it  is  grown  from. 
That  grown  upon  chalk  soils  contains  much  more 
than  such  produced  upon  soils  of  a  different  nature. 
When  the  farmer  puts  lime  and  bone  dust  upon  his 
fields,  he  is  unconsciously  supplying  us,  through  the 
medium  of  his  crops,  with  an  increased  amount  of 
obstructing,  choking-up  and  death-producing  mat- 
ter. For  as  the  rains  descend,  the  lime  is  gradually 
dissolved,  the  roots  absorb  the  fluid  holding  the  earthy 
matter  in  solution,  which  matter  is  then  carried  and 
deposited  into  the  substance  of  the  plant  or  vegeta- 
ble.    Not  only  is  wheaten  flour  highly  charged  with 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         21 

calcareous  earth  in  its  natural  state,  but  it  is  often 
shamefully  adulterated  by  the  artificial  introduction 
of  earthy  substances — such  as  ground  chalk,  whit- 
ing, gypsum,  plaster  of  Paris,  powdered  granite, 
slacked  lime,  bone  ashes,  and  similar  compounds. 
In  using  flour,  therefore,  of  any  form  ;  bread  or 
pastry  of  any  kind,  we  probably  consume  many  other 
injurious  articles — for  what  care  unprincipled  millers 
or  speculators  whether  the  articles  of  trade  are  ob- 
tained from  the  bones  of  a  butcher's  store  or  even 
the  charnel  house  !  It  has  been  proved  very  lately 
in  England,  in  a  court  of  justice,  that  large  quanti- 
ties of  flour  had  been  mixed  with  gypsum  at  the  rate 
of  fifteen  per  cent !  Besides  the  earthy  substances 
already  mentioned,  there  is  a  large  amount  of  fine 
sand  unavoidably  mixed  with  fiour,  arising  from  the 
friction  or  rubbing  together  of  the  millstones.  In  a 
work  entitled  the  "  History  of  Inventions,"  it  is  cal- 
culated that  in  the  quantity  of  flour  and  bread  a  per- 
son consumes,  he  swallows  six  pounds  of  sand  every 
year !  Flour  and  bread  are  also  farther  adulterated 
with  ground  peas,  beans,  potatoes,  alum,  ammonia, 
and  subcarbonate  of  potash — but  these  are  harmless 
compared  to  the  dreadful  eSects  of  the  foregoing 
earthy  substances.  The  use  of  these  various  perni- 
cious substitutes  for  flour  being  found  to  have  an  as- 
tringent or  constipating  eflect  on  the  bowels,  it  soon 
became  necessary  to  counteract  this,  and  thus  to  pre- 
vent suspicion,  the  use  of  jalap  and  other  cathartic 


22  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

ingredients  was  introduced,  in  order  to  prevent  dis- 
covery, and  produce  a  laxative  or  purgative  efiect 
upon  the  unfortunate  consumers. 

In  addition  to  the  mischievous  ingredients  which 
are  purposely  mixed  up  with  the  flour  and  bread, 
there  is  a  great  deal  of  filthy,  pernicious  matter  ac- 
cidentally or  cai^elessly  introduced.  In  the  store  and 
warehouses,  for  instance,  where  the  corn  is  hoarded 
up,  it  becomes  contaminated  with  the  dust  of  the 
rooms,  w^ith  the  urine  and  foeces  of  rats  and  mice, 
wdiich,  when  the  corn  is  removed  for  consumption,  is 
all  ground  up  together.  In  the  bakehouse,  too,  it  is 
not  a  very  uncommon  thing  to  see  a  man  with  scab- 
bed and  ulcerated  arms  and  hands  mixing  up  the 
bread ;  others  again  using  snuflf  and  tobacco,  as  they 
lean  over  the  troughs  and  benches,  and  the  snuffy 
mucus  and  tobacco  secretions  are  sent  somewhere. 
Tn  the  large  establishments  for  making  bread,  the 
bakers  knead  the  paste  with  their  feet  in  a  large 
trough,  working  and  treading  it  like  mortar.  A  ba- 
ker declares  on  his  veracity  that  it  is  not  unusual  for 
men  who  have  been  walking  about  in  shoes  for  seve- 
ral hours,  and  whose  feet  have  acquired  an  intolera- 
ble stench,  to  jump  at  once  into  the  paste  without 
even  drying  themselves.  One  instance  the  Author  has 
seen  in  New  York,  in  a  bakery,  even  worse  than 
above  described,  but  to  describe  it  would  be  disgust- 
ing. Now  and  then  we  find  in  the  bread  purchased 
from  a  baker's,  a  well-cooked  cricket  or  black  beetle, 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         23 

which  insects  abound  in  bakehouses.  To  enumerate 
all  the  filth  and  deleterious  articles  combined  in  arti- 
ficially prepared  food  and  drink,  would  not  only  be 
tiresome,  but  loathsome.  We  may  justly  declare, 
that  there  is  little  wisdom  in  the  well — no  truth  in 
liquids — bread  turns  out  to  be  a  crutch  to  help  us  on- 
ward to  the  grave,  instead  of  being  the  stafi"  of  life 
— in  almost  everything  poison,  and  in  scarcely  any 
medicine  cure  !  Devoted  to  disease  by  baker,  grocer, 
wine-merchant,  spirit-dealer,  pastry-cook,  confection- 
er, &c.,  the  physician  is  called  to  our  assistance  ; 
but  here  again  the  pernicious  system  of  fraud,  as  it 
has  given  the  blow,  steps  in  to  defeat  the  remedy — 
even  the  physician's  prescription  is  adulterated  !  No 
skill  can  prevent  the  effects  of  daily  poisoning ;  and 
no  man  can  prolong  his  life  beyond  a  short  standard, 
where  every  meat  ought  to  have  its  counteracting 
medicine. 

'"  Adulterations  of  Food  and  Seasonings. — A 
druggist  in  London  has  written  and  published  a  let- 
•ter  to  a  member  of  Parliament,  stating  that  almost 
every  drug  and  necessary  of  life  is  adulterated  to  an 
enormous  extent,  before  offered  for  sale  in  the  mar- 
ket. As  to  the  drugs,  let  them  pass  ;  but  the  culi- 
nary preparations  we  cannot  so  easily  excuse.  The 
genuine  West  India  cayenne  pepper  is  now  made  in 
London,  and  if  it  contained  nothing  but  the  ground 
berry  of  the  piper  indica,  selected  of  a  good  color, 
the  writer  says  he  should  desire  no  better.     But  co- 


24  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

lored  saw-dust,  salt,  vermilion,  and  other  ingredients, 
are  added.  Ginger  is  often  adulterated  with  flour 
and  meal,  flavored  with  capsicum,  to  give  it  the  re- 
quisite warmth.  Mustard  seed  to  the  amount  of  one- 
sixth  only,  and  in  many  kinds  not  near  so  much  as 
that,  enters  into  the  composition  of  the  best  Durham 
mustard,  which  is  Durham  only  in  name,  colored  up 
with  turmeric,  and  spiced  with  capsicum.  Black  pep- 
per is  mixed  with  starch,  powder,  and  English  ar- 
row root,  to  make  white  pepper.  Coflee  is  mixed 
with  the  burnt  root  of  the  dandelion,  known  as  chic- 
ory, which,  from  its  being  ground  at  the  mills,  is 
liable  to  adulteration.  Chocolate  and  cocoa  are  mix- 
ed with  ground  sago,  often  itself  unfit  for  sale  in  any 
other  state. 

"  The  roguery  and  deception  practiced  on  the 
public  is  truly  alarming.  It  is  high  time  that  an  ef- 
fort be  made  to  detect  fraud  and  imposition.  We 
have  known  an  object  of  pity  to  be  arrested  for  steal- 
ing a  mite  of  bread  to  eat  and  brought  before  a  court 
of  justice  and  receive  a  sentence  of  one  calendar 
month's  imprisonment.  But  it  appears  to  be  fash- 
ionable now-a-days  to  have  a  class  of  respectable 
rogues — moneyed  rogues — who  consider  themselves 
too  honorable  to  steal,  but  at  the  same  time  they  will 
oheat  like  a  rogue.  All  is  done  in  a  business-like 
manner,  and  therefore  is  but  a  business  transac- 
tion. If  my  neighbor  wants  a  pound  of  pepper,  and 
a  half  pound  of  logwood  saw-dust  can  be  introdu- 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  25 

ced  into  it  T^-itliout  detection,  it  is  considered  a  fair 
business  transaction  to  cheat  roj  neighbor  of  half  a 
pound  of  pepper !  Yes ;  and  you  "^ould  be  re- 
spected should  you  derive  wealth  under  such  cir- 
cumstances. A  petty  rogue  is  one  who  has  not  the 
means  of  roguing  largely — a  respectable  one  is  he 
who  has  the  wealth  and  rogues  to  the  amount  of 
thousands.  The  latter  class  of  ro2;ues  are  seldom 
found  in  prisons — they  are  generally  in  mansions  of 
the  greatest  splendor  and  taste. 

''  We  entertain  an  opinion  that  professional  roguery, 
as  well  as  all  other  kinds  of  rosuerv,  is  successful  in 
proportion  to  the  general  intelligence  of  the  people. 
Ignorance  is  the  result  of  imposition  as  well  as  fraud. 
Give  the  people  Ifght,  and  those  who  live  on  the  spoils 
of  suffering  humanity  will  cease  their  avoCations,  and 
apply  themselves  to  some  honorable  profession." — 
London  Beacon. 

With  regard  to  other  grains,  we  find  them  all,  ex- 
cept maize,  or  Indian  com,  containing  less  earth  than 
wheat.  Barley,  for  instance,  only  contains  one-tliird 
the  amount  of  wheat ;  and  the  use  of  barley  bread 
and  barley  flour  generally  would  certainly  conduce 
to  health,  and  add  many  years  to  the  usual  term  of 
life.  Pvice  and  sago,  arrow-root  and  tapioca,  contain 
still  less  than  barley,  and  ought  to  enter  freely  into 
the  list  of  articles  of  diet. 

The  constituents  of  wheat  and  other  grains  may 


26  AN    INC^UIKY    INTO    THE 

be  gatlicrcd  from  the  follo-vving  tables,  from    Ure^s 
Chemical  Dictionary, 

According  to  Dr.  Proust,  one  hundred  parts  of 
wheat  flour  contain 

Yellow  Resin 1.0  ^i 

Guinmy  and  saccharine  extract  . .  12.0 

Gluten 12.5 

Starch 74.5 

Total,         100.0 

In  two  dijBTerent  specimens  of  wheat,  Vogel  found 
the  following  ingredients  and  proportions  : — 

1st  specimen.  2d  specimen. 

Fecula  (Starch) 68.0  72.0 

Undried  Gluten 24.0  22.0 

Gummy  Sugar 5.0  5.5 

Vegetable  Albumen 1.5  0.5 

Some  Earthy  Phosphates  and  other  Salts. 

Sir  Humphrey  Davy  drew  as  the  general  result  of 
his  experiments,  that  the  wheat  grown  in  the  south- 
ern provinces  of  Europe  and  America  contains  more 
gluten  than  that  of  the  northern. 

Beans,  such  as  our  horse  bean,  have  been  analyzed 
by  EinhofF.     He  found  3840  parts  to  consist  of — 

Volatile  matter    GOO 

Skins    386 

Fibrous  starchy   matter    610 

Starch  1312 

Amount  forward  2908 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         27 

Brought  up 2908 

Ves:eto-animal  matter     417 

Albumen 31 

Extractive,  soluble  in  alcohol    136 

Gummy  matter    177 

Earthy  phosphate 37^ 

Loss    133^ 

Total,  3840 

Fourcroy  and  Yaquelin  found  incinerated  ashes  to 
contain  the  phosphates  of  lime^  magnesia,  potash,  and 
iron,  with  uncombined  potash.  They  found  no  sugar 
in  this  bean. 

Kidney  beans,  yielded  to  Einhoff : — 

Skins,  288 

Fibrous,  starchy  matter,  425 

Starch,' 1380 

Veoreto-animal  matter, 799 

Extractive.    131 

Albumen,  some  vegeto-animal  matter. ...  52 

jMucilage,    744 

Loss, 21 


Total  3840 

According  to  Einhoff's  analysis  of  beans,  3,840 
parts  contain  3T|-  of  earthy  matter.  This  amount 
would  be  equal  to  241  lbs.  in  25,000  lbs.,  instead  of 
206  as  given  in  table  at  page  9. 

Rye  consists,  according  to  Einhoff,  in  3,840  parts 
of:— 


28'  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

Envelope  (husk),    930 

Moisture, 390 

Flour  (fariua), 2520 

Total,  3840 
The  farina  consists  of  : — 

Albumen,    126 

Undried  gluten, 3G4 

Mucilage,    426 

Starch, ' 2345 

Sugar, 126 

Husk  or  bran, 245 

Loss, 208 


Total,  3840 

Oats  analyzed,  gave  : — 

Fecula,  59.00 

Albumen,   4.30 

Gum, 2.50 

Sugar  and  bitter  principle, 8.25 

Fat  oil, 2.00 

Some  salts 

Total,  78.06 

These  results  differ  from  those  of  Sir.  H.  Davy, 
"who  found  oats  to  contain  six  per  cent,  of  gluten. 

Potatoes  contain  in  every  100  parts,  according  to 
Einhoff  :— 

Starchy  matter, 22.0 

Albumen  and  mucilage, 5.4 

Total,  27.4 

Tfie  nutriment  equals  one-fourth  the  weight. 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  29 

Peas  contain,  according  to  Einlioff : — 

Volatile  matter, 540 

Starch, 1265 

Vegeto-animal  matter, 559 

Albumen,    66 

Sugar, 81 

Blucilage, 249 

Fibrous  starchy  matter, 840 

Salts  (earthy  and  alkaline), 11 

Loss, 229 

Total,  3840 

Barley.     M.  Proust  has  given  the  following  as  the 

constituents  of  this  grain  : — 

Yellow  resin,  soluble  in  alcohol, 1 

Gummy  and  saccharine  extract, 9 

Gluten, 3 

Starch, 32 

Hordeine, 5a 

Total,  100 

The  analysis  of  Barley  by  Dr.  Thompson,  gave  :— 

Gum. 5 

Sugar, ^ 

Gluten,    ^ 

Starch, 88 

Total,  100 

And  of  Malt,  gave  : — 

Gum, 14 

Sugar, 16 

Gluten, 1 

Starch, 69 

Total,  100 


30  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

It  seems  that  Avliat  Dr.  Thompson  regarded  as 
starch  was  found  by  M.  Proust  to  be  a  compound  of 
starch  and  Avhat  he  called  hordeine.  The  hordeine 
and  starch  of  Proust  amount  to  87  per  cent.,  and  the 
starch  of  Thompson  to  88  per  cent. 

^'  Flesh,  the  muscles  of  animals,  consists  chiefly  of 
fibrin,  ^Yith  albumen,  gelatine,  extractive,  phosphate 
of  soda,  phosphate  of  ammonia,  'phosphate  and  car- 
bonate  of  lime ^  and  sulphate  of  potash." — Ure^s  Die. 

It  may  be  useful  to  know  that  the  principal  part  of 
earthy  matter  in  flesh  exists  in  the  muscle  or  lean, 
the  fat  containing  a  very  small  amount.  The  follow- 
ing table  is  from  Brande''s  Chemistry. 

One  hundred  parts  of  muscle  or  lean,  of — 

Water.  Albumen  or        Gelatine.  Total 

Fibrine.  nutritious 

matter. 

Beef  contains     74  20  6  26 

Veal  75  19  6  25 

Mutton  71  22  7  29 

Pork  76  19  5  24 

Chicken  73  20  7  27 

Cod-fish  79  14  7  21 

Haddock  81  13  5  18 

Sole  79  15  6  21 

Rice.  The  following  are  the  results  of  M.  Bracon- 
not's  analysis  of  the  rice  of  Carolina  and  Piedmont : 

Carolina.  Piedmont. 

Water, 5.00  7.00 

Starch,    85.07  3.80 

Parenchyma, 4.80  4.80 

Amount  forward,  94.87  15.60 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  31 

Brought  up, 94.87  15.60 

Vegeto-animal  matter, 3.60  3.60 

Uncrystallizable  sugar,    0.29  0.05 

Gummy  matter,  0.71  0.10 

Oil, 0.13  0.25 

Phosphate  of  lime, 0.40  0.40 

Total,  100.00  100.00 

With  traces,  in  the  Carolina  rice,  of  muriate  and  phosphate 
of  potash,  acetic  and  vegetable  calcareous  salt,  vegetable  pot- 
ash salt,  and  sulphur. 

According  to  Vogel,  rice  is  composed  of : — 

Starch, 96 

Sugar, .•  .       1 

Fat  oil,    1.5 

Albumen,  0.2 

With  some  salts. 

Fish  contains  rather  less  albumen  and  gelatine  than 
flesh.  Fish  of  various  kinds  have  been  found  to  con- 
tain free  phosphorus  ;  hence  in  a  putrid  or  decom- 
posing state  they  are  often  found  to  shine  in  the  dark 
"with  a  blue  phosphorescent  light.  Oysters  and  other 
shell  fish  have  been  found  to  contain,  besides  phos- 
phorus, according  to  some  chemists,  a  small  amount 
of  iodine. 

Linseed  contains  a  considerable  amount  of  oily  and 
mucilaginous  matter.  Beet  root,  parsnips,  and  man- 
gel-wurzel, contain  a  large  proportion  of  saccharine 
matter.  Brande  states,  "  that  one  hundred  pounds 
of  beet-root  furnish  between  four  and  five  pounds  of 
purified  white  sugar,  besides  a  quantity  of  syrup." 


S2  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

These  roots  might  he  used  as  articles  of  diet  to  great 
advantage.  Tliey  arc  far  more  suitable  to  the  pro- 
per nourishment  of  the  body  than  potatoes,  and  much 
cheaper. 

Cheese  contains  a  small  proportion  of  earthy  mat- 
ter, and  is  very  nutricious.  It  bears  a  strong  re- 
semblance to  the  gluten  of  wheat,  and  may  be  eaten 
to  great  advantage  with  fruits  and  fresh  garden  vege- 
tables, but  should  never  be  taken  with  bread.  The 
latter  combination  is  very  dry  and  indigestible. 

Cabbage  and  greens  in  general  abound  in  albumen, 
or  white  of  egg  matter,  and  contain  a  small  amount 
of  earths. 

Turnips,  carrots,  &c.,  contain  a  small  proportion 
of  earth,  with  starch  and  saccharine  matter. 

Mushrooms  contain  phosphates  of  lime  and  some- 
times iron. 

Onions,  examined  by  MM.  Vaqueline  and  Four- 
croy,  were  found  composed  of : — 

1.  A  white,  acrid,  volatile  and  odorous  oil. 

2.  Sulphur  combined  with  oil,  which  makes  it  fetid. 

3.  A  large  quantity  of  uncrystallizable  sugar. 

4.  A  large  quantity  of  mucilage,  hke  gum  arable. 

5.  A  vegeto-animal  matter,  coagnlable  by  heat,   and  like 
gluten. 

6.  Phosphoric  acid,  combined  with  lime,  and  acetic  acid. 

7.  A  portion  of  citrate  of  lime. 

8.  A  tender  fibrous  matter. 

Eggs  consist  of  the  shell,  a  lining  membrane,  the 
white  and  the  yolk.     The  white  consists  of  albumen. 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  33 

combined  with  traces  of  sulphur  and  soda.  The 
yolk  also  contains  albumen,  with  an  oily  matter,  some 
coloring  substance,  and  phosphorus,  with  a  trace  of 
'phosphate  of  lime. 

The  white  and  yolk  are  very  nutritious  ;  but  the 
yolks  of  eggs  alone  beat  up  with  sugar  and  warm 
water  are  exceedingly  strengthening  ;  and  on  account 
of  the  phosphorus,  may  be  used  in  all  cases  of  de- 
bility, where  there  are  no  inflammatory  symptoms, 
with  great  advantage. 

Ripe  fruits  in  general,  as  given  in  a  previous  table, 
consist  of  the  following  elements  and  average  pro- 
portions, according  to  a  French  chemist,  M.  Berard. 

Yeo:etable  albumen, 0.44 

Coloring  matter,   0.10 

Lignin,    1.40 

Gum, 3.45 

Sugar, 16.50 

Malic,  citric,  tartaric,  and  oxalic  acids,. .  1.10 

Lime,    0.01 

Water, 77.00 

Total,  100.00 

The  date  contains  a  larger  amount  of  earth  than 
any  other  fruit,  and  the  grape  the  least.  The  latter 
is  generally  free  from  earth,  sometimes  only  a  mere 
trace  is  found.  Grapes,  therefore,  are  very  con- 
duciv^e  to  health,  not  only  in  consequence  of  being 
free  from  earthy  matter,  but  they  possess  the  power 
of  thinning  the  blood  and  gently  stimulating  it,  and 
3* 


34  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

causing  it  to.  be  sent  through  all  the  countless  capil- 
lary vessels.  And  those  who  have  never  observed 
the  fact,  Avill  be  surprised  to  be  told  the  aged  whose 
hands  and  other  parts  of  the  body  are  very  much 
dried  up,  will  rapidly  become  soft,  and  the  little  ves- 
sels that  have  for  years  been  closed,  will  reappear,  as 
also  will  the  fine  vessels  of  the  cheeks  again  put  on 
the  hue  of  youth  ;  the  appetite  will  improve,  the 
bowels  will  become  regular,  elasticity  of  limb  and  a 
more  buoyant  spirit  are  sure  to  follow  those  who  eat 
plentifully  of  good  grapes.  The  old  man  will  again 
become  young  ! 

Honey  is  composed  of  sugar,  mamiila,  mucilage, 
and  acid,  and  sometimes  by  the  essential  oil  of  the 
plants  from  which  it  is  gathered  by  the  bees.  In 
some  parts  of  Asia,  and  America,  the  honey  is  some- 
times of  a  poisonous  nature,  in  consequence  of  the 
bees  feeding  upon  poisonous  flowers. 

"  Sugar  is  one  of  the  constituents  of  a  number  of 
vegetables,  and  is  produced  sometimes  by  animals,  as 
in  the  disease  called  diabetes,  and  may  be  obtained 
from  animal  glue  by  the  action  of  sulphuric  acid  and 
water." — Annals  of  Chemistry , 

It  is  obtained  from  the  ordinary  sugar-cane,  maple, 
birch,  wheat,  parsnips,  mangel-wurzel,  beet,  carrot, 
figs,  grapes,  mushrooms,  gelatine,  starch,  sawdust, 
hemp,  flax  and  linen  rags.  Persons  unacquainted 
with  chemistry  may  feel  surprise  w4ien  told  that  100 
parts   of   starch  will    produce    110  parts  of  sugar, 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  35 

merely  by  being  boiled  in  oil  of  vitriol  and  water  ; 
that  a  pound  of  sawdust  or  linen  shreds  will  produce 
more  than  a  pound  of  saccharine  matter.  It  is  ne- 
vertheless known  to  be  true  by  the  practical  chemist. 

Molasses,  or  treacle,  is  that  portion  of  the  juice 
of  the  cane  which  during  the  manufacture  of  sugar, 
does  not  crystallize.  It  differs  somewhat  from  sugar 
in  its  composition,  but  is  equally  as  good  for  domes- 
tic purposes,  where  taste  and  habit  form  no  conside- 
ration. 

It  is  a  very  prevalent  opinion  that  sugar,  or  any 
sweet  or  saccharine  substance,  is  injurious  to  the 
health  generally,  and  particularly  to  the  teeth,  caus- 
ing their  decay,  and  producing  toothache.  Such  an 
opinion  is  only  true  under  certain  circumstances ; 
when  a  person  has  not  been  accustomed  to  its  use, 
and  when  it  is  held  long  in  the  mouth,  as  in  the  form 
of  candy  or  boiled  sugar,  and  when  the  system  is  la- 
boring under  some  kinds  of  disease.  It  is  hurtful, 
for  instance,  to  bilious,  hypochondriacal,  and  dyspep- 
tic habits.  But  persons  in  health,  whether  children 
or  adults,  beginning  to  use  it  sparingly,  and  gradual- 
ly increasing  it  as  the  stomach  becomes  modified  to 
its  use,  will  find  it  a  most  powerful  article  of  nour- 
ishment. It  is  a  fact,  that  in  countries  where  sugar 
is  much  used,  scurvy,  and  other  cutaneous  diseases, 
are  almost  unknown.  Vessels,  where  the  seamen  are 
allowed  the  use  of  sugar  at  pleasure,  are  generally 
pretty  healthy,  and  if  it  were  more  generally  used  at 


36  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

sea,   tlie  Leal  til   of  sailors  -would  be  materially  im- 
proved. 

Negroes,  notwithstanding  their  increased  labor, 
become  greatly  improved  in  health  during  the  sugar 
cane  harvest,  or  crop  time ;  and  this  is  attributable 
solely  to  their  fondness  for  the  saccharine  juice  of 
the  cane.  The  same  may  be  said  of  horses,  cows 
and  pigs  ;  they  are  all  fond  of  the  refuse  syrup  about 
the  sugar  works,  and  become  fat  at  this  season,  and 
much  improved  in  the  appearance  of  their  skins. 
Horses  fed  upon  boiled  carrots,  in  a  few  weeks  be- 
come remarkably  sleek,  their  coats  shine  like  silk, 
and  their  general  activity  is  much  promoted,  which  is 
owing  to  the  saccharine  matter  contained  in  the  car- 
rots. Dogs  afflicted  with  the  "  mange,"  a  kind  of 
scurvy,  have,  when  all  other  means  failed,  been  per- 
fectly cured  by  licking  refuse  syrup.  A  sheep,  af- 
flicted with  a  foul  disorder,  was  also  placed  near  a 
sugar  establishment,  and  recovered. 

As  an  antiseptic  or  preservative,  saccharine  mat- 
ter is  an  invaluable  article.  Meat,  w^ell  rubbed  Avith 
sugar,  instead  of  salt,  has  been  known  to  keep  for  a 
long  period.  Beef  has  been  kept  perfectly  sweet 
and  sound  for  above  two  years,  by  being  simply  cov- 
ered to  a  few  inches'  depth  in  treacle.  In  this  way 
fruits  have  been  preserved  in  their  natural  state  with- 
out the  ordinary  and  troublesome  method  of  boiling 
and  potting  them.  All  that  is  requisite  for  this  pur- 
pose is,  to  gather  such  fruits  as  are   ripe  and  dry, 


ijm<^ 


\ 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  37 

and  the  skins  unbroken,  to  place  them  carefully  m  a 
deep  mug  or  jar,  and  pour  some  treacle  over  them  to 
the  depth  of  several  inches.     In  this  vray  the  treacle 
prevents   the  action  of  the  air,  gathers  round  each 
fruit,  suspends  it,  and  keeps  them  from  crushing  and       1 
spoiling  each  other.     When  required  for  use,  care- 
fully rinse  them  in   lukewarm  vrater,  and  fresh   ripe        j 
fruits  of  any  kind  may  thus  be  had  at  any  season  of     ^  J 
the  year. 

Sugar  and  molasses  have  been  said  also  not  only 
to  equal  any  other  article  as  a  general  manure,  but 
for  some  purposes  to  be  superior  to  anything  else. 

Sugar,  therefore,  taken  as  an  article  of  diet, 
either  in  the  solid  or  fluid  form,  is  highly  nutritious 
and  beneficial. 

Butter  is  the  oily  part  of  milk,  and  is  much  used 
as  an  article  of  food.  Although  it  is  considered  an 
animal  product,  consisting  of  butyrme,  oleine,  stear- 
i7ic,  and  butryic  acid,  some  vegetables  yield  a  sub- 
stance very  analogous  to  it.  "  In  the  interior  of 
Africa,  there  is  a  tree  much  resembling  the  Ameri- 
can oak,  producing  a  nut  in  appearance  very  like 
an  olive.  The  kernel  of  this  nut  by  boiling  in 
water,  aifurds  a  kind  of  butter,  which  is  whiter,  firm- 
er, and  of  a  richer  flavor  than  that  made  from  cow's 
milk,  and  keeps  well  without  salt.  The  natives  call 
it  shea  toulou,  or  tree-butter.  Large  quantities  of 
it  are  made  every  year."— LVe.  Butter  of  cocoa 
and  palm  oil   are  other  vegetable  specimens.     The 


38  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

milk  of  sheep  produces  the  greatest  proportion  of  but- 
ter ;  after  the  sheep,  the  goat  and  the  cow  give  the 
largest  amount. 

''  Parmentier  could  not  make  any  butter  from  wo- 
man's, asses  or  mare's  milk  ;  and  that  from  sheep  he 
found  always  remained  soft.  From  their  general 
properties  he  divided  them  into  two  classes,  one 
abounding  in  serous  and  saline  parts,  which  includes 
woman's,  mare's  and  asses'  ;  the  other  rich  in  cas- 
eous and  butyraceous  parts,  which  are  cow's,  goat's 
and  sheep's." — Ure. 

Oil  for  eating,  is  generally  the  olive  oil,  and  con- 
sists of  carbon  77.21,  hydrogen  13.36,  and  oxygen 
9.43,  in  every  100  parts  ;  or  according  to  Cracon- 
not,  of  a  greenish  yellowish  oil  12,  and  a  very  white 
suet  28  parts  in  the  100. 

Common  wine  vinegar  consists  of  acetic  acid, 
water,  mucilage,  tartaric  acid,  tartrate  of  potassa, 
sugar,  extractive,  citric,  malic,  and  phosphoric  acids. 

Distilled  vinegar  consists  only  of  acetic  acid  and 
water  ;  all  the  other  ingredients  being  separated  by 
the  process  of  distillation. 

The  moderate  use  of  vinegar  as  a  condiment  pro- 
motes digestion,  urges  the  flow  of  the  urine,  and  in- 
creases the  insensible  perspiration. 

Wine  of  the  grape  consists  of  water,  alcohol,  bi- 
tartrate  of  potassa,  or  tartar,  extractive  matter,  a 
volatile  oil,  malic  and  tartaric  acids,  and  in  that  spe- 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         39 

cies  called  cliampagne,  a  large  quantity  of  almost  free 
carbonic  acid  gas. 

Taken  moderately,  wine  promotes  digestion,  gently 
stimulates  the  whole  system,  and  improves  the  circu- 
lation of  blood  in  the  arteries.  Taken  to  excess, 
(that  is,  to  produce  inebriety,)  it  produces  debility, 
stupor,  nausea,  and  diarrhoea.  When  new,  it  is  flat- 
ulent, purgative,  debilitating,  and  sooner  intoxicates  ; 
but  when  good  and  ^  of  a  proper  age,  it  is  nutritive 
and  strengthening. 

Cider  and  perry  may  be  called  the  wine  of  apples 
and  pears  ;  being  the  expressed  juice  of  these  fruits 
slightly  altered  by  fermentation,  and  may  be  classed 
amongst  the  most  wholesome  drinks. 

Rum  is  the  spirit  obtained  from  the  juice  of  the 
sugar-cane,  and  is  highly  impregnated  with  the  es- 
sential oil  of  that  plant. 

Brandy  is,  or  should  be,  the  spirit  obtained  by  dis- 
tillation from  wine,  or  the  fermented  juice  of  the 
grape. 

Gin  ought  to  be  common  malt  spirit,  rectified  or 
redistilled  from  juniper  berries. 

Whisky  is  distilled  from  wheat,  oats,  rye,  barley, 
potatoes,  or  other  vegetable  substance,  and  often  from 
the  washings  of  ale  and  porter  barrels. 

Arrack  is  a  spirituous  liquor  made  chiefly  at  Ba- 
tavia,  Goa,  East  Indies,  &c.,  from  rice. 

All  these  different  spirituous  drinks  are  but  so  many 
varieties  of  alcohol,  which  is  a  powerful  and  diffusi- 


40  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

ble  stimulant.  It  is  higlily  useful  when  greatly  di- 
luted, as  an  excitant  application  in  cases  of  extreme 
debility  ;  but  Avlien  undiluted,  is  capable  of  pro- 
ducing the  most  fearful  effects  upon  the  human  con- 
stitution. 

Dr.  Thompson,  in  his  Materia  2fedica^  speaking 
of  alcohol,  says,  "  In  examining  the  effects  which 
follow  the  introduction  of  a  large  quantity  of  mode- 
rately diluted  alcohol  into  the  stomach,  we  find  that 
the  first  is  the  local  excitement  of  the  viscus,  indicat- 
ed by  a  sensation  of  heat  in  it,  an  effect,  the  result 
chiefly  of  the  impression  of  the  alcohol  on  the  gas- 
tric nerves,  increasing  the  sensibility  of  that  organ  ; 
this  impression  is  next  conveyed  to  the  brain,  spinal 
marrow,  and  entire  nervous  system  ;  ideas  of  unusual 
brilliancy  pass  through  the  mind ;  there  is,  as  it  has 
been  beautifully  expressed,  a  soft  tumult  of  the  soul ; 
fancy  is  awakened,  and  creates,  from  uninterrupted 
associations,  new  combinations  and  a  world  of  its 
own  ;  and  it  is  at  this  moment,  between  sobriety  and 
intoxication,  that  the  poet  sometimes  pours  forth  his 
sublimest  conceptions  and  most  harmonious  strains. 
As  the  power  of  the  stimulus,  however,  increases, 
all  control  of  the  will  is  suspended ;  the  ideas  are 
then  irregular,  and,  instead  of  being  combined  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  produce  even  agreeable  concep- 
tions, they  arise  in  the  most  incongruous  order  ;  the 
extent  of  the  excitement  of  the  cerebro-spinal  cen- 
ters becomes  apparent  in  the  unusual  vivacity  of  the 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         41 

eye,  the  swelling  of  the  veins  of  the  neck,  and  the 
beating  of  the  carotids  ;  but  new  symptoms  indicat- 
ing cephalic  congestion  quickly  follow ;  namely,  pain 
in  the  frontal  region  ;  the  head  drops  upon  tlie  chest ; 
the  eyes  lose  their  expression  and  are  half  closed  ; 
the  physiognomy  is  altered  and  vacant ;  the  volun- 
tary muscles  cease  to  act  ;  the  arms  are  pendant,  or 
their  movements  are  irregular ;  the  legs  cross  one 
another  in  the  effort  to  walk  ;  vertigo  supervenes, 
and  delirium  follows.  The  exhausting  influence  of 
such  a  state  is  too  great  to  continue ;  in  a  short  time 
collapse,  and  sleep  resembling  that  of  apoplexy,  fol- 
low. Under  certain  states  of  the  habit,  this  sleep 
may  prove  the  prelude  to  death,  but,  in  the  majority 
of  instances,  nature  adopts  this  method  of  restoring 
the  exhausted  excitability  ;  yet  he  does  not  vrake  in 
his  usual  state  ;  his  hand  is  tremulous  ;  his  limbs 
are  weak  and  unsteady  ;  his  surface  is  susceptible  of 
the  slightest  impressions  ;  his  stomach  nauseates  all 
kinds  of  food  ;  his  thoughts  are  gloomy  ;  his  temper 
irascible ;  and,  if  the  moral  principle  be  not  blunted 
by  the  frequent  repetition  of  this  vice,  his  mind  is 
overpowered  with  the  most  distressing  sense  of  degra- 
dation." 

Although  alcoholic  beverages,  when  moderately 
used,  may  be  of  service  to  the  body,  especially  in 
cases  of  extreme  debility,  still  when  we  consider  the 
vast  amount  of  wretchednesss  which  follow  in  the 
wake  of  their  constant  use,  we  may  justly  decide,  that 


42  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

society  on  t]ie  ichole  would   be  benefited   by  tliei 
total  abandonment. 

Milk,  according  to  Berzelius,  and  consists  of : — 

Watciv 928.75 

Curd,  with  a  little  cream, 28.00 

Sugar  of  milk,   35.00 

IMuriate  of  potash, 1.70 

Phosphate  of  potash, 0.25 

Lactic  acid,  acetate  of  potash,  lactate  of  iron,  6.00 

Earthy  phosphates. 0.30 

Total,  1000.00 

Cream  consists  of  : — 

Whey, 92.0 

Butter, 4.5 

Cheese, 3.5 

Total,  100.0 

"  Milk,  Oh  !  Oh  !  On  !  Milk  ! — Some  recent  ac- 
counts of  the  milky  ways  of  the  London  milkmen  have 
filled  us  with  the  desire  to  have  the  good  old  days  of 
chalk  and  water  back  again.  We  knew  that  under  the 
old  system  our  insides  were  simply  white-washed  with  a 
clean  if  not  a  very  wholesome  preparation  ;  but  we  shud- 
der at  the  thouirht  of  what  the  London  milk  is  now  de- 
clared  to  be.  It  is  said  that  the  rich  creamy  look  of  the 
mixture  is  obtained  by  the  use  of  starch,  sugar  of  lead, 
and  brains.  Oh  !  that  we  could  '  dasli  out  our  despe- 
rate brains  '  from  our  milk-jugs,  and  imbibe  the  thinnest 
of  decoctions  the  pump  and  chalk-pit  ever  contributed  ! 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  43 

We  miglit  not  object  to  a  dash  of  starcli  to  enable  iis  to 
get  what  might  be  termed  a  stiff  glass  of  milk — but  there 
is  something  so  awful  in  the  idea  of  brains,  particularly 
as  it  is  said  they  come  from  the  knacker's  yard,  that  om* 
own  brain  reels,  swims,  and  performs  various  other  cere- 
bral eccentricities  that  we  know  not  how  to  describe. 
We  feel  almost  resolved  to  forswear  the  lacteal  licjuid 
altogether,  and  take  for  our  motto,  as  a  direction  to  our 
children,  '  Lac  Milk.''  "  —Punch. 

A  very  simple  method  has  been  discovered  of  pre- 
serving milk  for  any  length  of  time.  It  consists  in 
gently  simmering  the  milk  in  shallow  pans  until  the 
whole  of  the  water  is  evaporated,  and  the  solid  con- 
tents of  the  milk  left  in  a  dry  powder.  This  powder 
may  then  be  packed  in  canisters  or  bottles,  and  kept 
perfectly  dry.  \Yhen  required  for  use^  all  that  is 
necessary  is,  to  take  a  spoonful  of  the  powder  and 
mix  it  well  in  a  mortar  with  a  small  quantity  of  luke- 
warm water,  gradually  adding  as  much  more  water  as 
will  give  it  the  consistency  and  color,  as  it  will  be 
found  to  have  the  taste  and  flavor,  of  good  new  milk. 
This  plan  should  be  taken  advantage  of  by  all  taking 
long  land  journeys  or  sea  voyages,  and  thus  avoid 
some  of  the  inconveniences  attending  the  deprivation 
of  certain  diets. 

In  large  towns  milk  is  adulterated  to  an  incredible 
extent.  The  most  common,  and  the  most  harmless 
of  all  adulterations  is  that  of  simply  thinning  with 
water,  but  the  expert  in  this  "  art "  use  the  yolk  of 


44  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

eggs,  flour  and  warm  water.  Sometimes  molasses 
and  salt  is  used.  Other  scientific  "  milk  artists '^ 
manufacture  it  by  a  solution  of  annato  ^vitli  subcar- 
bonate  of  potash  and  a  little  sugar.  Cream  is  often 
"increased  "  in  quantity  by  starch,  rice  po^vder,  and 
arrov;-root  boiled  together.  Milk  is  sometimes  put 
into  leaden  vessels  to  make  it  throw  up  a  larger 
quantity  of  cream,  and  the  leaden  particles  'vvhich 
impregnate  the  milk,  have  been  known,  in  England, 
to  produce  the  most  fearful  disorders.  Those  guilty 
of  this  practice  would  murder  openly  if  they  dared. 
Read  the  following  : — 

DISEASED    MILK    AND    MEAT. 
.9  Memorial  to  the  hoard  of  Health  of  the  Ci'y  of  New  York  : 

Gentlemen  : — I  pray  you  to  take  into  serious  consid- 
eration, the  several  matters  set  forth  in  this  memorial : 

There  is  a  power  and  responsibility  vested  in  your 
hands  at  the  present  moment,  as  far  greater  than  that 
which  attaches  to  ordinary  legislation,  as  health  and  life 
are  superior  in  consequence  to  houses  and  lands.  It  is 
the  power  over,  and  resj)onsibility  for,  the  sanitary  con- 
dition of  our  city,  so  far  as  this  may  be  controlled  by  cir- 
cumstances which  are  subject  to  your  authority.  And 
what  circumstances  are  there,  affecting  the  public  health, 
over  which  the  law  and  the  people  will  not  unite,  to  give 
you  most  ample  powers  of  correction  ?  We  are  threat- 
ened by  a  destructive  epidemic,  from  the  stroke  of  which 
no  one  of  our  five  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  is  ex- 
emj^t.  It  is  a  common  danger  ;  and  though  not  now  of 
an  alarming   character,  it  may  become  so  by  the  neglect 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        45 

even  of  small  things,  or  by  what  may  produce  equivalent 
results  vrithout  devolving  censure  upon  you — and  that  is, 
by  want  of  information.  No  task  can  be  more  difficult 
than  that  of  acquiring  accui'ate  knowledge  of  all  the  means 
by  v^hich  the  public  health  is  endangered.  The  obser- 
vation of  the  private  citizen  in  his  daily  walks,  must 
come  to  the  aid  of  the  public  officer  in  his  official  visits. 
In  fact,  every  man  must  constitute  himself  a  civil  officer 
of  inspection  in  whatever  concerns  the  general  health, 
precisely  on  the  grounds,  and  for  the  same  reason,  that  he 
would  give  the  alarm  on  the  approach  of  an  armed  enemy 
from  without. 

I  beg  leave  to  claim  your  attention  to  the  matters 
which  I  shall  now  recite  : 

On  Thursday  of  last  week  I  had  occasion  to  walk 
through  Fifteenth  street  to  the  North  river.  When  I 
had  passed  the  Ninth  avenue,  my  olfactory  nerves  were 
shocked  in  the  most  extraordinary  manner.  A  stench, 
such  as  it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  and  impossible  to 
describe,  filled  the  air,  and  absolutely  interfered  with 
free  respiration.  I  found  it  to  proceed  from  the  exten- 
sive cow  stables  attached  to  the  distillery  of  one  of  the 
wealthiest  of  our  citizens.  From  near  the  Ninth  avenue 
to  the  river,  I  observed  long  low  sheds,  occupying  the 
entire  space  between  Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth  streets. 
But  for  the  intolerable  stench,  I  might  have  supposed 
them  to  be  manufactories  of  some  sort,  with  which  that 
portion  of  the  city  abounds.  There  was  an  exterior  ap- 
pearance of  cleanliness  about  the  premises.  JMany  of  the 
fences  were  whitewashed,   and  there  was  no  visible  ac- 


46         .  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

cumulation  of  fillb,  yet  the  stench  was  most  oppressive 
to  the  hmgs. 

I  resolved  on  a  closer  inspection,  and  approached  the 
windows.  Each  shed  was  occupied  by  cows  stalled  close 
together,  from  eight  to  ten  in  a  row,  arranged  crosswise, 
and  standing  back  to  back,  so  near  that  a  man  might 
with  difficulty  pass  sinuously  between  them.  The  stables 
were  floored  and  guttered,  so  that  the  liquid  would  run 
ofi" ;  and  they  appeared  to  be  as  free  from  any  accumula- 
tion of  filth  as  the  nature  of  the  case  admitted — but  the 
stench  was  horrible  !  I  wondered  how  the  poor  animals 
themselves  could  live  in  that  confined  atmosphere.  They 
were  each  tied  by  a  short  rope  to  the  trough  ;  and  I  was 
informed  they  are  never  taken  out,  after  being  once  stall- 
ed, until  they  cease  to  give  milk,  or  become  sick,  when 
they  are  sold  to  the  butcher  !  The  troughs  are  branches 
of  a  main  duct  or  trunk,  connecting  them  with  the  dis- 
tillery, from  w^hich  they  receive  the  smoking  swill  that 
makes  their  chief  food.  This  trunk  passes  by  on  the 
Tenth  avenue,  crossing  it  by  iron  pipes  under  ground, 
and  supplies  the  sheds  that  extend  thence  to  the  river. 
The  whole  number  of  cows  kept  here  must  be  little  short 
of  two  thousand!  (2,000.) 

I  bef^an  to  reflect  on  the  relations  of  this  extensive  es- 
tablishment  with  the  general  health  of  the  city.  The 
milk  must  of  necessity  be  filthy  and  unwholesome.  If 
we  take  an  average  of  8  quarts  only  per  day  for  each 
cow,  there  must  be  near  16,000  quarts  distributed  through 
the  city  every  day  ;  and  if  we  suppose,  what  is  probably 
a  fact,  that  each  quart  is  partaken  of  by  five  persons,  we 
have  eighty  thousand   (80,000)    consumers  of  this  un- 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         47 

■wholesome  fluid,  who  are  supplied  from  this  single  estab- 
lishment. There  are  others  of  the  same  kind  in  the  sub- 
urbs of  the  city,  Brooklyn  and  Williamsburgh  ;  and  it 
will  be  quite  safe  to  estimate  the  total  number  of  persons 
to  whom  this  vile  stuif  is  distributed,  at  two  hundred 
thousand  (200,000).  It  may  be  said  that  the  quantity 
taken  by  each  is  too  small  to  be  very  injurious  to  the 
health  :  but  when  we  consider  that  the  dose  is  repeated 
every  day  throughout  the  year,  and  that  milk  constitutes 
the  chief  article  of  food  for  thousands  of  infants,  I  think 
there  is  cause  to  fear  that  a  wide-spread  predisposition  to 
disease  must  be  created  by  it. 

The  following  conversation  which  I  had  wiih  several 
respectable  laboring  men  who  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
distillery,  will  serve  to  enlighten  the  consumers  as  to 
the  quality  of  the  article  which  is  so  extensively  distrib- 
uted under  the  name  of  milk. 

Q.  Are  not  these  cows  liable  to  disease  from  being 
confined  so  closely,  and  fed  on  swill  ? 

A.  That,  indeed,  they  are,  sir.  If  you  will  take  the 
trouble  to  look  into  the  lots  opposite  to  the  stables,  you 
may  see  from  two  to  six  of  them  staggering  about,  and 
ready  to  drop  dead.  Sometimes  six  of  them  will  die  in 
a  single  day. 

Q.  Do  they  continue  to  milk  them  after  they  are  turn- 
ed out  to  die  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.      I  have  seen  them  do  it  frequently.     I 
have  seen  them  when  they  were  so  exhausted  as  to  be 
unable   to  stand  long  enough   to  be  milked,  and  one  man 
would  hold  them  up  while  anotlier  would  milk  them. 
Q.   Do  they  really  sell  thiit  milk  through  the  city  ? 


48  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

A.  Yes,  sir.  They  carry  it  round  to  tlicir  customers 
every  day  under  the  name  of  Westchester  County,  or 
Orange  County  milk.  It  is  a  very  common  thing  for 
country  milkmen  to  bring  their  cans  into  the  city  half 
full,  and  fill  up  at  this  establishment. 

Q.  What  becomes  of  these  sick  cows  which  you  speak 
of  r     Do  they  recover  ? 

A.  I  believe  -  not  a  single  case  of  recovery  has  been 
known.  They  appear  to  die  of  consumption.  Many 
have  been  examined  after  death,  and  the  lungs  are  always 
found  to  be  badly  diseased.  When  they  stop  milking, 
the  butcher  gets  them. 

Q.  Is  it  possible  that  those  diseased  animals  are  sold 
for  beef  through  the  city  .'' 

A.  Why,  sir,  that  is  no  secret !  They  are  carried  off 
to  some  slaughter-house  during  the  night ;  or  they  are 
taken  out  of  town  and  cut  up,  and  then  brought  back  to 
the  bui-cher  shops. 

This  was  the  substance  of  our  conversation.  I  ob- 
served with  care,  from  a  short  distance,  five  of  the  poor 
animals  who  were  lying  down  in  one  of  the  lots.  They 
were  literally  in  a  dying  state.  One  lay  extended  at 
full  length,  unable  to  hold  up  its  head.  Another  seemed 
to  be  gasping  for  breath.  A  man  went  into  the  lot  with 
a  bundle  of  hay  and  offered  it  to  one  of  them  ;  but  she 
would  not  or  could  not  eat  it.  He  kicked  her  until  she 
made  several  attempts  to  get  up,  but  fell  back  on  her 
haunches.  At  last,  he  succeeded  in  making  her  stand  by 
giving  her  the  help  of  his  own  shoulder. 

1  passed  the  place  on  my  return  homeward,  at.,  dusk, 
nnd  the  five  cows  were  still  there.      To  satisfv  mvself  of 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         .  49 

the  trutli  of  what  I  bad  learned  about  their  removal  dur- 
ing the  night,  I  repaired  to  the  spot  at  sunrise  next  morn- 
ing, and  three  of  the  five  were  gone — no  doubt  to  the 
slaughter-house  ' 

Is  not  this  a  most  serious  matter,  calling  for  the  prompt 
interference  of  the  civil  authorities  r  We  are  continually 
admonished  by  physicians  to  be  careful  of  our  diet,  if  we 
wish  to  escape  the  cholera.  The  approaches  of  the  dis- 
ease are  said  to  be  almost  insensible  to  the  patient.  IN'Ien 
pursue  their  regular  business  for  two  or  three  days  after 
it  has  commenced  its  fatal  ravages  upon  the  system.  A 
very  slight  disturbance  of  the  digestive  organs — "  the 
slightest,"  say  the  Doctors,  ^'  must  be  promptly  treated, 
or  the  attack  may  prove  fatal."  They  advise  the  rejec- 
tion of  raw  vegetables,  such  as  salad  and  radishes,  from 
the  table.  How  much  more  is  the  milk  and  meat  of  dis- 
eased animals  to  be  guarded  against ! 

Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Health  :  It  is  hereby  re- 
spectfully and  earnestly  submitted  to  you,  that  the  pres- 
ent condition  of  the  city  is  such  as  to  call  for  j-our  imme- 
diate action  on  the  subject  of  this  memorial.  If  any 
doubt  exist  in  your  own  minds,  relative  to  the  danger 
that  may  threaten  the  public  health  from  the  source  here 
indicated,  let  a  council  of  our  principal  physicians  be 
summoned  to  your  assistance.  If  you  need  enlighten- 
ment as  to  the  stench  that  proceeds  from  the  stables  here- 
in mentioned,  call  upon  respectable  citizens  residing  in 
their  vicinity.  If  you  wish  ocular  and  olfactory  dem- 
onstration, visit  the  establishment  in  person,  and  I  am 
persuaded  you  will  bear  out  the  assertion  that  its  charac- 

4 


50  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

tor  and  its  uses  forbid  the  possibility  of  its  being  anything 
but  afoul  and  dangerous  nuisance  that  ought  to  he  forth- 
with removed. 

Permit  me  also  to  suggest  that  an  Ordinance  be  pass- 
ed, requiring  every  milk-cart  to  be  labeled  in  fair  legible 
letters,  Tvith  the  name  of  the  owner  and  his  residence. 
Also,  creating  a  Meat  Inspection,  such  as  might  be  a 
safeguard  against  diseased  animal  food  being  exposed  for 
sale.  Every  slaughter-house  and  butcher-shop  and  stall 
should  be  under  strict  inspection.  Public  slaughter- 
houses might  be  provided,  out  of  the  city,  and  subjected 
to  legal  supervision.  With  respect  to  animal  food  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  be  too  stringent. 

That  you  may  take  these  various  points  into  serious 
consideration,  is  the  prayer,  on  behalf  of  the  people,  of 

A    CITIZEN. 

Spring  water  contains  au  amount  of  earthy  ingre- 
dients which  it  is  fearful  to  contemplate.  It  cer- 
tainly differs  very  much  in  different  districts  and  at 
various  depths ;  but  it  has  been  calculated  that 
water  of  an  average  quality  contains  so  much  car- 
bonate and  other  compounds  of  lime,  that  a  person 
drinking  an  average  quantity  each  day,  will,  in  forty 
years,  have  taken  into  the  body  as  much  as  would 
form  a  pillar  of  solid  chalk  or  marble,  as  large  as  a 
good  sized  man.  Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  so 
many  are  afflicted  with  stone  or  gravel  in  the  blad- 
der?  Does  this  fact  not  prove  most  conclusively, 
that  all  earthy  formations  of  the  bladder  have  their 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  51 


origin  in  the  water  and  food  of  man  1  These  facts 
immediately  point  out  the  way  to  remedy  the  evil. 
Those  who  wish  to  avoid  the  terrible  consequences  of 
stone  in  the  bladder,  and  those  who  are  already  thus 
afflicted,  must  look  well  to  their  diet.  When  we  as- 
certain the  true  cause  of  disease,  the  remedy  becomes 
evident.  So  great  is  the  amount  of  lime  in  spring 
water,  that  the  quantity  taken  daily,  would  alone  be 
sufficient  to  choke  up  the  system,  so  as  to  bring  on 
old  age  and  death  long  before  we  arrived  at  twenty 
years  of  age,  were  it  not  for  the  kidneys  and  other 
secreting  organs  throwing  it  off  in  large  quantities. 
These  organs,  however,  only  discharge  a  portion 
of  this  matter — for  instance  :  supposing  ten  parts 
to  be  taken  during  a  day  ;  eight  or  nine  may  be 
throTVTi  out,  and  one  or  two  left  somewhere  in  the 
body.  This  process  continued  day  after  day,  and 
year  after  year,  the  solid  matter  at  length  accumu- 
lates, until  the  activity  and  flexibility  of  childhood 
become  lust  in  the  enfeebled  rigidity  of  what  is  then 
called,  though  very  erroneously,  "  Old  age."  A  fami- 
liar instance  of  earthy  deposition  and  incrustation  from 
water ^  is  observed  in  the  common  tea-kettle,  or  steam 
boiler.  Every  housewife  knows  that  a  vessel  which 
is  in  constant  use  will  soon  become  "  furred  up,"  or 
plastered  on  the  bottom  or  sides  with  a  hard  stony 
substance.  Four  or  five  pounds  weight  of  this  mat- 
ter have  been  known  to  collect  in  twelve  months. 
The  reader  must  not  mislead  himself  by  thinking  that 


52  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

because  so  much  lime  is  found  in  a  tca-kcttle,  the 
^vatcr  after  boiUng  is  free  from  hme  !  It  is  true  that 
boiling  water  does  cause  a  little  carbonate  of  lime  to 
precipitate,  but  the  bulk  of  the  sediment  is  left  from 
that  portion  of  the  water  only  which  is  driven  off  as 
steam,  or  "  boiled  away."  This  can  easily  be  as- 
certained by  testing  the  water  both  before  and  after 
boiling.  It  will  be  found  to  contain  earthy  particles 
however  long  the  boiling  may  continue.  Filtering  it 
is  of  little  use  ;  for  this  only  removes  what  may  be 
floating  or  mechanically  mixed  in  the  water  ;  whereas 
the  earthy  matter  here  spoken  of  is  held  in  solution. 
So  that  spring  water,  clear  and  transparent  as  it  may 
appear,  is  nevertheless  charged  with  a  considerable 
amount  of  solid  choking-up  matter,  and  is  therefore, 
in  any  form  unfit,  or  at  least  is  not  the  best  suited 
for  interna:  use.  The  only  means  whereby  it  can  be 
rendered  perfectly  pure  and  fit  for  unlimited  con- 
sumption is  distillation.  A  very  simple  apparatus 
might  be  attached  to  a  kitchen  fire  so  as  to  be  of  very 
little  trouble,  and  yet  gradually  to  distil  as  much 
water  as  would  be  required  for  a  family.  There  can- 
not be  a  doubt  that  distilling  the  water  intended  for 
tea,  coffee,  soup,  or  other  internal  purposes,  even 
without  any  other  change  in  diet,  would  diminish  dis- 
ease, and  add  many  years  to  our  existence.  Who 
will  try  it  1 

A  good   substitute  for  distilled  water  may  be  had 
in  rain,  snow  or  hail.     If  a  large  sheet  were  sus- 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         53 

pended  by  the  four  corners  in  an  open  yard  or  field, 
and  a  stone  or  other  weight  placed  in»the  center,  so 
as  to  give  it  the  form  of  a  funnel,  the  rain  or  melted 
snow  would  run  to  the  center,  and  might  be  caught 
in  any  vessel  for  the  purpose.  This  would  almost 
equal  in  purity  distilled  water.  If  this  cannot  be 
done,  clear  rain  water  filtered  might  be  used,  al- 
though it  is  liable  to  become  charged  with  earthy 
substances  in  passing  over  the  house-tops. 

River  and  pit  water,  besides  containing  as  much 
lime  as  that  from  springs,  is  contaminated  with  pu- 
trid animal  and  vegetable  matter.  Professor  Clark 
says,  that  the  inhabitants  of  London  use  forty  mil- 
lions of  gallons  of  the  Thames  water  every  day  ;  and 
that  this  quantity  of  water  contains  about  25  tons  of 
chalk  ! 

The  following  table  shows  the  solid  contents  of  the 
Thames  water,  London,  and  of  the  Croton  water  in 
the  city  of  New  York.  The  former  was  analyzed 
by  R.  Phillips,  Esq.,  as  reported  from  the  Select 
Committee  of  the  House  of  Lords.  The  latter  was 
analyzed  by  Dr.  J.  R.  Chilton. 


54 


AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 


Quantity  of  "Water, 

1  Gallon— 10  lbs.  Avoirdupois 

at  6-20"  Fahrenheit, 

or  70  quarters,  Avoirdupois. 


Carbonate  of  Lime 

Sulphate  of  Lime 

Chloride  of  Sodium 

Oxide  of  Iron 

Silica 

Magnesia 

Carbonaceous  Matter J 

Chloride  of  Magnesium > 

Chloride  of  Calcium j 

Carbonate  of  Magnesia 

Solid  Matter  held  in  Solution.. 
Mechanical  Impurity 

Total  Solid  Matter 


Thames  Water, 


Brentford 
source  of  the 
Grand  Junc- 
tion Water 
Works  Com- 
pany. 


Grains. 
16.000 

3.400 

very  minute 
portions. 


Chelsea, 
source 
of  the 
Water 
Works 
Com- 
pany. 


Grains. 
16.500 

2.900 


Ditto. 


19.400 
0.363 


19.400 
0.238 


19.768 


19.638 


Croton  Water. 


At  its 

source, 

Croton 

Lake. 


Grains. 
1.42 


.34 


.86 
.70 


2.98 
.34 


3.32 


In  the  city  of 

New^  York, 

as  it  issues 

from  the 

pipes. 


Grains. 
1.52 

.44 


.46 

.90 

.84 


3.70 
.46 


4.16 


■  Analysis  of  the  Croton  and  Schuylkill  waters,  by 
J.  C.  Booth,  Professor  of  Chemistry  to  the  Franklin 
Institute  of  Pennsylvania,  and  H.  M.  Boye,  of  Phil- 
adelphia. 

Croton  Water.    Schuylkill  Water. 

In  100  grs.  in  In  100  grs.  in 

parts.  1  gall.  parts.  1  gall. 

Carbonate  of  Lime 45.86  2.293  53.67  2.190 

Carbonate  of  Magnesia..  18.78  .939  11.87  .484 

Alkaline  Carbonates 16.57  .828  4.53  .185 

Alkaline  Chlorides 3.87  .193  3.75  .153 

Oxide  of  Iron 2.21  .110  ....  •.•• 

Silica 7.18  .359  9.68  .395 

Organic  Matter 5.53  .276  .088  .036 

AluminaandOxideof Iron    ....  ....  1-88  .077 

Alkaline  Sulphates 13.74  .560 

100.00      4.998      100.00        4.080 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  55 

Tlic  Croton  water  was  taken  from  the  Croton  dam, 
and  when  perfectly  clear  was  found,  as  appears  by 
the  above  analysis,  to  contain  4.998  or  about  5 
grains  of  solid  matter  to  the  gallon.  The  Schuyl- 
kill water  was  taken  from  the  middle  basin  on  Fair 
Mount,  and  contained  4.08  grains  of  solid  matter  to 
the  gallon.  The  Croton  differs  from  the  Schuylkill 
water  in  containing  a  larger  amount  of  the  alkaline 
carbonates,  and  of  the  carbonate  of  magnesia,  while 
it  contains  less  carbonate  of  lime,  and  is  entirely 
destitute  of  the  alkaline  sulphates,  of  which  the 
Schuylkill  contains  13. T4  parts  in  100  of  the  total 
solid  matter,  though  amounting  to  only  one-half  a 
grain  to  the  gallon. 

It  appears  from  the  above  table,  that  the  amount 
of  impurities  contained  in  the  Thames  water,  ex- 
ceeds those  of  the  Croton  by  nearly  six  fold,  and 
that  the  quantity  of  lime,  held  in  solution  in  the  for- 
mer, surpasses  that  of  the  latter,  about  fifteen  times. 
The  Thames  water  differs  also  from  the  Croton  in 
the  circumstance  that  it  contains  an  appreciable 
quantity  of  chloride  of  sodium,  or  common  salt — of 
which  the  Croton  is  entirely  free. 

There  are  but  very  few  streams  to  be  found,  whose 
waters  contain  less  than  4.16  grains  of  solid  matter 
to  the  gallon. 

Very  much  more  might  be  said  about  waters,  which 
would  be  very  interesting,  but  would  be  out  of  place 
in  this  volume.     Enough  has  been  shown  to  convince 


56  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

the  most  incredulous  tliat  all  waters  diUVr  in  their 
composition,  and  that  man,  as  Avell  as  all  animals, 
sufiers  more  or  less  from  drinking  their  impurities.* 
Water  -which  contains  no  volatile  matter,  when 
passed  through  the  still  is  the  purest  state  of  this 
important  fluid.  It  is  beautifully  transparent,  color- 
less, perfectl}^  void  of  taste  and  smell,  and  lighter 
than  any  other  water.  It  feels  softer  to  the  touch, 
and  the  fingers  are  instantly  wetted  with  it.  An- 
other singular  property  it  possesses  is,  that  it  produ- 
ces a  greater  sound  when  poured  from  one  vessel  to 
another.  If  kept  free  from  the  access  of  matters 
floating  in  the  air,  time  produces  no  change  in  it.     It 

*  In  a  trial  at  Nottingham,  England,  in  1836,  it  was  proved  that 
dysentery  of  an  aggravated  form  -vvas  caused  in  cattle  by  the  use  of 
water  contaminated  with  putrescent  vegetable  matter,  produced  by 
the  refuse  of  a  starch  manufactory.  The  fish,  perch,  pike,  roach, 
dace,  &c.,  and  frogs  in  the  pond  through  which  the  brook  ran,  were 
destroyed,  and  all  the  animals  which  drank  of  the  water  became 
seriously  ill'  and  many  of  them  died  with  the  symptoms  of  dysen- 
tery. It  was,  moreover,  shown,  that  the  animals  sometimes  re- 
fused to  drink  the  water ;  that  the  mortality  was  in  proportion  to 
the  quantity  of  starch  made  at  different  times ;  and  that  subse- 
quently, when  the  putrescent  matter  was  not  allowed  to  pass  into 
the  brook,  but  was  conveyed  to  a  river  at  some  distance,  the  fish 
and  frogs  began  to  return,  and  the  mortality  ceased  among  the  cat- 
tle. There  are  many  instances  on  record,  where  troops  and  indi- 
viduals have  sickened  and  died  of  putrid  fever  and  dysentery,  from 
drinking  the  water  of  stagnant  pools  and  ditches  or  rivers,  as  the 
river  Lee,  near  Cork,  Ireland,)  which  in  passing  through  the  city, 
receives  the  contents  of  the  sewers  from  the  houses,  and  is  other- 
wise unwholesome. — Illustrations  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct.  By  F. 
B.  Tower.    Appendix.    By  C.  A.  Lee. 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         5T 

is  the  best  solvent  of  all  soluble  animal  and  vegeta- 
ble matter,  witbout  decomposing  them  ;  on  which  ac- 
count, could  it  be  procured  easily,  it  would  be  the 
best  and  most  wholesome  beverage  that  could  be  em- 
ployed, and  might  be  rendered  sufiSciently  palatable 
by  agitating  it  mechanically  with  the  air,  which  it 
rapidly  imbibes. 


CHAPTER    V. 

Proofs   that   the    Calcareous  Earthy  Matter  of  the 
body  is  derived  solely  from  the  food  and  drink. 

The  following  is  a  simple  illustration  of  the  influ- 
ence of  food  in  producing  or  preventing  osseous  for- 
mations. One  thousand  parts  of  egg  shells  are  com- 
posed of : — 

Carbonate  of  lime,    896 

Phosphate  of  lime,  57 

Gluten  and  moisture,  47 

Total,  1000 

If  fowls  are  kept  in  a  state  of  confinement  where 
they  cannot  get  any  calcareous  earth,  they  lay  their 
eggs  without  shells. 

In  this  case  it  is  evident  that  if  no  lime  is  put  into 
the  body,  through  the  medium  of  food,  no  lime  will 
generate  by  any  peculiar  action  of  that  body.  Again, 
if  the  leg  of  a  fowl  be  broken,  its  eggs  will  be  laid 
without  shells  until  the  fracture  be  repaired.  It 
would  seem  that  the  earthy  matter  and  gelatine  which 
would  have  formed  the  egg-shell  are  required  to  mend 
the  broken  limb  ;  and  the  body  has  no  power  to 
generate  an  extra  quantity.  The  same  has  been 
observed  of  females,  both  of  the  human  race  and  of 


THE  CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        59 

the  lower  animals.  When  limbs  have  been  broken 
during  pregnancy,  the  young  have  been  born  with  a 
marked  deficiency  in  the  structure  of  the  bones, 
The^earthy  elements  required  to  reunite  the  broken 
limbs  have  been  taken  from  the  amount  already  ex- 
isting in  the  system  of  the  mother ;  and  that  system 
has  had  no  power  to  form  a  fresh  supply  for  the 
bones  of  the  young. 

Dr.  Playfair,  in  a  lecture  delivered  in  England  in 
1843,  after  describing  a  series  of  experiments  by 
himself,  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  the  quantities  of 
butter  and  cheese  produced  in  the  milk  of  cows  by 
different  kinds  of  food,  makes  the  folio  win  cr  re- 
marks  : — ''  The  cow  was  now  treated  to  various 
kinds  of  food,  such  as  hay,  boiled  potatoes,  oatmeal, 
beans,  peas,  &c.,  and  the  changes  which  these  arti- 
cles of  food  occasioned  were  carefully  determined  by 
analyzing  the  milk  morning  and  evening.  Beans 
were  found  very  materially  to  increase  the  quantity 
of  cheese  in  the  milk,  and  it  is  very  singular  that 
beans  contain  cheese  exactly  identical  with  that 
which  is  procured  from  milk.  Potatoes  were  found 
to  increase  th?  butter  of  the  milk,  and  diminish  the 
cheese ;  and  the  butter  was  still  more  increased 
when  the  cow  was  made  to  drink  beer  instead  of 
water.  Thus  the  food  and  the  exercise  of  the  ani- 
ifial  was  shown  to  exerdise  very  material  influence  on 
the  composition  of  the  milk.  The  quantity  of  the 
earthy  of  bones  and  other  salts  also  varied  accord- 


60  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

i?ig  to  the  amount  of  these  ingredients  presented 
in  the  food.''''  This  last  assertion  fully  corroborates 
the  conclusion  insisted  on  ;  namely,  that  according 
to  the  greater  or  less  amount  of  earthy  matter  taken 
in  the  food  and  drink,  will  the  body  consolidate  more 
or  less  rapidly  in  a  given  time.  --ifc-. 

It  has  been  stated,  by  several  continental  chemists 
and  physiologists,  that  arterial  blood  contains  a 
greater  amount  of  crassamentum,  and  is  heavier  than 
venous  blood.  The  crassamentum  is  the  solid  part 
of  blood,  and  consists  of  coloring  matter,  fibrin,  phos- 
phate of  lime^  &c.  If,  then,  the  blood  which  flows 
from  the  heart,  through  the  arterial  vessels,  contains 
an  amount  of  solid  matter  which  does  not  exist  in  it 
when  returning  to  the  heart  through  the  veins,  it  is 
certain  that  some  portion  of  this  matter  must  be  left 
in  the  minute  terminations  of  the  arterial  vessels. 
The  arterial  blood  is  renewed  and  receives  a  fresh 
supply  of  elements,  including  the  earthy  matter  from 
the  food. 

There  are  many  places  where  the  spring-water  is  so 
very  hard,  (which  quality  of  hardness  is  owing  to  the 
amount  of  sulphate  of  lime  and  other  earthy  sub- 
stances,) that  many  persons  are  unable  to  live  but  a 
few  days,  without  suffering  greatly  from  gravel  and 
other  calculous  disorders.  It  is  stated  by  Dr. 
Thompson  in  his  Materia  Medica,  "  That  the  abun- 
dance of  sulphate  of  lime  in  the  water  of  Paris,  and 
in  the  waters  of  many  parts  of  Switzerland,  produces 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  61 

un3omfortable  feelings  to  strangers  who  first  visit 
these  places.  It  is  also  said  to  produce  calculous 
complaints  in  the  inhabitants.  In  weak  and  irritable 
stomachs  hard  spring  water  causes  an  uneasy  sensa- 
tion of  weight  at  the  stomach,  and  when  long  used  as 
a  daily  beverage,  produces  dyspepsia,  and  to  which 
we  must  attribute  the  calculous  deposits  which  Dr. 
Percival  and  others  have  observed  to  be  common 
when  hard  water  is  drunk."  Again,  continuing  his 
remarks  on  water  as  an  aliment,  he  observes,  "  No 
water  which  contains  so  much  foreign  matter  as  to 
place  it  within  the  class  of  mineral  waters,  can  be 
employed  as  an  ordinary  diluent ;  and  even  hard  or 
well-water,  when  daily  used,  proves  injurious.  This 
fact  is  well  known  to  horse  jockeys,  who,  when  they 
are  desirous  to  sell  a  horse  to  advantage,  give  him 
either  rain  water,  or  water  which  has  been  boiled, 
for  drink ;  well  knowing  that  the  use  of  hard  water 
makes  his  coat  rough. ^^  In  these  cases  we  have 
at  least  instances  of  the  influence  of  drink  containing 
earthy  matter,  increasing  the  formation  of  calculi, 
and  even  aifecting  the  skin.  These  effects  do  not 
arise  unless  the  earthy  substances  are  taken  into  the 
body  with  the  drink. 

Three  common  fowls  were  fed  fourteen  days  upon 
a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  wheat,  oats,  and  barley, 
with  hard  spring  water  to  drink.  The  amount  of 
earthy  matter  in  these  four  articles  is  represented  in 
the  table  of  diet,  by  the  numbers  respectively,  220, 


62 


AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 


118,  and  10  ;  the  average  of  which  is  91.  In  the 
fourteen  days  the  number  of  eggs  from  the  v/hole  was 
28.  The  shells  from  which  weighed  one  ounce,  two 
drachms,  one  scruple,  and  fifteen  grains,  or  635 
grains.  The  shells  were  then  analyzed  and  found  to 
contain  93  per  cent,  of  earthy  matter — of  gelatine  and 
water,  only  7  per  cent.  The  same  fowls  were  then 
fed  fourteen  days  upon  cooked  potatoes,  greens,  fish, 
and  flesh,  about  equal  parts,  with  filtered  rain-water 
to  drink.  The  numbers  representing  these  articles 
are,  potatoes  90,  greens  6,  fish  18,  flesh  26,  and 
rain-water  0 — the  average  of  which  is  28.  In  the 
fourteen  days  the  number  of  c^gs  was  27.  The 
shells  from  which  weighed  seven  drachms  and  a  half, 
or  4G0  grains — which  for  28  eggs  would  be  477 
grains,  being  a  difierence  of  158  grains,  or  one-fourth 
less.  The  shells  w^re  analyzed  and  found  to  con- 
tain 82  per  cent,  earthy  salts,'  and  18  per  cent,  gela- 
tine and  water,  being  a  difference  of  11  per  cent,  in 
the  amount  of  earth,  and  11  per  cent  in  the  amount 
of  gelatine,  &c.  These  results  will  be  more  clearly 
perceived  by  giving  them  in  a  tabular  form. 


Amount 
of  earth 
in  each. 

Aver- 
age 
amount. 

Period 
of  Feed- 
ing. 

No.  of 
Eggs. 

W^eight 

of 
Shells. 

Composition. 

Kind  of  Food. 

Earthy 
Matter. 

Gelatin 
&  Watr. 

Wlieat 

Oats 

2-20  ] 
118 
65  !• 

loj 

901 
6 

let. 

91 

2fl 

14  days 
14  days 

28 
27 

635  grs. 

460  grs- 

or  for 

23  eggs 

477  grs. 

per  cent 
93 

82 

per  cent 

Barley 

Hard  or  Spring 

"Water 

Potatoes 

Greens 

Fish 

7 

18 

Flesh  

Rain  Water  . . 

CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  63 

The  fowls  were  then  fed  as  at  first,  and  a  cor- 
responding difierence  was  again  found  in  the  charac- 
ter of  the  shells. 

A  dog,  that  had  always  lived  in  the  ordinary  way, 
on  bread,  bones,  meat,  &c.,  was  bled,  and  the  blood 
analyzed.  It  was  found  to  contain  14  per  cent,  of 
phosphate  and  carbonate  of  lime — the  urine  1.5  per 
cent. — and  the  excrements  2.75  per  cent.  The  dog 
was  then  fed  fourteen  days  on  flesh,  potatoes,  fruits, 
(of  which  it  was  very  fond,)  and  distilled  water. 
The  blood  was  then  found  to  contain  9  per  cent,  of 
phosphate  and  carbonate  of  lime — the  urine  .75  per 
cent.,  and  the  excrements  1.5  per  cent.,  being  a 
diminution  of  5  per  cent,  in  the  blood,  .75  in  the 
urine,  and  1.25  in  the  excrements.  At  the  end  of 
this  period  the  dog  was  fed  in  the  ordinary  way  for  a 
month,  the  blood  was  then  found  to  contain  12.5  per 
cent.,  the  urine  1.25,  and  the  excrements  2.25  per 
cent.,  being  an  increase  again  of  3.5  in  the  blood,  .5 
in  the  urine,  and  .75  in  the  excrements. 

A  horse  was  freely  fed  upon  oats,  beans,  meal, 
hay,  and  spring  water  for  several  months.  The 
blood  was  found  to  contain  10  per  cent,  of  calcareous 
earth,  the  urine  1.25 — the  excrements  4.5.  It  was 
then  fed  upon  clover,  grass,  and  such  other  fresh  vege- 
table matters  as  are  generally  mixed  with  them,  with 
a  small  portion  of  corn  and  filtered  rain  water  to 
drink  for  a  month.  The  blood  was  found  to  contain 
7  per  cent,  of  earthy  matter,  the  urine  .75  per  cent., 


G4 


AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 


and  the  excrements  2.5  per  cent.  ;  being  a  decrease 
in  the  blood  of  3  per  cent.,  .5  in  the  urine,  and  2  per 
cent,  in  the  excrements. 

The  following  tables,  by  Professor  Liebig,  may  be 
useful  as  bearing  upon  the  present  subject. 

TABLE  I.  ^ 

Food  consumed  by  a  horse  in  24  hours. 


Articles 
of 
Food. 

Weight 
in  the 
Fresh 
State. 

Weight 

in  the 

Dry 

State. 

Carbon. 

Hydro- 
gen. 

Oxygen. 

Nitro- 
gen. 

Salts  and 

Earthy 

Matters. 

Hay  .... 
Oats  .... 
Water  . . 

7.500 

2270 

16000 

6465 
1927 

2961.0 
977.0 

323.2 
123.3 

2502.0 
707.2 

97.0 
42.4 

681.8 
77.1 
13.3 

Total  . .  . 

2.5770 

8392 

3938.0 

446.5 

3209.2 

139.4 

672.2 

TABLE  IL 


Excretions  of  a  horse  in  24  hours. 


Excretions. 

Weight 
in  the 
Fresh 
State. 

Weight 

in  the 

Dry 

State. 

Carbon. 

Hydro- 
gen. 

Oxy. 

gen. 

Nitro- 
gen. 

Salts  & 
Earthy 
Mat- 
ters. 

Urine 

Excrements  . . 

1330 
142.50 

302 
3525 

108.7 
1364.4 

11.6 
179.8 

34.1 
1328.9 

37.8 
77.6 

109.9 
674.6 

Total 

15580 

3827 

1472.9 

191.3 

1363.0 

116.4 

684.5 

Total        from 
the  last  Table 

25770 

8392 

3938.0 

446.5 

3209.2 

139.4 

672.3 

Difterence. . . . 

10190 

4555 

2465.1 

255.2 

1846.2 

24.0 

12.3 

More  or  less. . 

less      1     less 

less 

less 

less 

less 

more 

CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH. 
TABLE  III. 

Food  consumed  by  a  cow  in  24  hours. 


65 


Articles  in 
Food. 

Weight 
in  the 
Fresh 
State. 

Weight 

in  the 

Dry 

State. 

Carbon. 

Hydro- 
gen. 

Oxy- 

geo. 

Nitre- 
gen. 

Salts  & 
Earthy 
Mat- 
ters. 

Potatoes 

After-grass . . . 
Water    

1.5000 

7500 

60000 

4170 
6315 

1839.0 
2974.4 

241.9 
353.6 

1830.6 
2204.0 

50.0 
151.5 

20S.5 

631.5 

50.0 

Total 1 

82500 

10485 

4813.4 

595.5 

4034.6 

201.6 

898.0 

TABLE  IV. 
Excretions  of  a  cow  in  24  hours. 


Excretions. 

Weight 
in  the 
Fresh 

State 

Weight 

in  the 

Dry 

State. 

Carbon. 

Hydro- 
gen. 

Oxy. 

gen. 

Nitro- 
gen. 

Salts  & 
Earthy 
Mat- 
ters. 

Excrements  . . 

Urine 

Milk 

28413 
8200 
8539 

4004.0 

960.8 

11.50.6 

1712  0 
261.4 
623.2 

208  0 
25.0 
99.0 

1508.0 
2-53.7 
321.0 

92.0 
36.5 

46.0 

480.0 

384.2 

56  4 

Total 

45152 

6111.4 

2601.6 

332.0 

2082.7 

174.5 

920.6 

Total         from 
the  last  Table 

82500 

10485.0 

4813.4 

.595.5 

4034.6 

201.5 

889.0 

Difference 

37348 

4374.6 

2211.8 

263.5 

1951.9 

27.0 

31.6 

More  or  le-s . . 

less 

less 

less 

less 

less 

less 

more 

It  appears  from  the  above  tables  that  the  salts  and 
earthy  matters  in  the  urine  of  the  horse,  amounted 
to  109.9  parts  out  of  1.330,  or  above  8  per  cent. 
The  excrements  574.6  parts  out  of  14.250,  or  about 
4  per  cent.  The  salts  and  earthy  matters  in  the 
urine  of  the  cow,  amounted  to  384.2  parts  out  of 
8.200,  or  above  4.5  per  cent.  Those  of  the  excre- 
ments amounted  to  480  parts  out  of  28.413,  or  above 


66  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

1.5  per  cent.  Tlic  milk  contained  56.4  parts  out  of 
8.53'J,  or  about  0.05  per  cent.  The  total  weight  of 
food  consumed  by  the  horse  was  25.770  grammes. 
The  total  amount  of  salts  and  earthy  matter  in  that 
food  was  672.2  gi-ammes,  or  2.6  per  cent.  The  to- 
tal amount  of  urine  and  excrements  was  15.580 — 
the  total  weight  of  earthy  matter,  salts,  &c.,  684.5, 
or  4  per  cent.  The  earthy  salts,  &c.,  in  the  food  of 
the  cow  amounted  to  about  1  per  cent.  The  total  in 
the  whole  of  the  excrements,  urine  and  milk,  was  2 
per  cent.  ;  so  that  the  secretions  of  the  horse,  living 
on  hay,  oats  and  water,  contained  double  the  amount 
of  earthy  matters,  &c.,  to  those  of  the  cow,  living  on 
potatoes,  after-grass  and  water. 

A  man  who  had  alwaj^s  lived  as  the  mass  of  men 
generally  live,  upon  bread,  puddings,  potatoes,  fish, 
flesh,  cheese,  milk,  tea,  coffee,  ale,  &c.,  was  induced 
to  submit  to  several  experiments  for  some  weeks. 
First,  the  urine  voided  every  morning  was  preserved, 
and  carefully  analyzed ;  the  amount  of  earthy  mat- 
ter was  found  to  be  3.5  per  cent. — excrement  6  per 
cent. — saliva  1.5  per  cent.,  and  the  blood  8  per  cent. 
He  then  lived  upon  flesh,  fish,  greens,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  ripe  fruits,  for  a  fortnight.  The  urine 
then  was  found  to  contain  only  2  per  cent.  ;  excre- 
ment 4  per  cent.  ;  saliva  0.75  per  cent.  ;  and  the 
blood  only  5  per  cent.  He  was  then  induced  to  run 
until  he  perspired  very  profusely,  when  as  much 
sweat  was  scraped  from  his  body  as  sufficed  for  ana- 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         67 

lyzatioii,  though  not  enough  to  be  weighed.  This 
was  done  both  before  and  after  change  of  diet,  and  a 
very  sensible  diiference  was  found  in  the  amount  of 
earthy  salts.  The  sweat  obtained  before  the  change 
of  diet  contained  considerably  more  than  that  ob- 
tained after  the  experiment.  The  man  was  then  al- 
lowed to  return  to  his  old  habits  and  food — and  at 
the  end  of  a  month  the  secretions  and  blood  were 
again  analyzed,  and  found  to  contain  a  much  greater 
quantity  of  calcareous  matter  than  when  last  exam- 
ined ;  but  not  quite  so  much  as  they  contained  pre- 
vious to  the  experimental  mode  of  living. 

The  following  very  striking  experiment  was  tried 
upon  a  female,  and  her  child  only  three  months  old : 
a  portion  of  the  milk  of  the  mother  was  obtained 
sufficient  for  analyzation,  and  found  to  contain  about 
1.75  per  cent,  of  phosphate  and  carbonate  of  lime. 
She  then  lived  upon  bread,  tea,  coffee,  flesh,  potatoes 
and  pastries.  A  portion  of  the  food  and  stools  of 
the  child  were  obtained  every  day  for  six  days — when 
on  being  analyzed,  the  urine  contained  0.5  per  cent, 
of  earthy  matter,  and  the  stools  2  per  cent.  The 
mother  was  then  induced  to  live,  for  a  week  or  seven 
days,  upon  sago,  puddings,  roasted  apples,  well 
sweetened,  grapes,  figs,  and  port  and  sherry  wines. 
At  the  end  of  the  fifth  day,  a  portion  of  the  milk 
was  examined  and  found  to  contain  0.5  per  cent.; 
the  urine  and  stools  contained  only  a  trace  of  earthy 
matter.     The   mother   then  quickly   retook   to  her 


X 


68  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

usual  food,  having  found  tlic  change  for  a  week  ra- 
ther a  severe  task.  In  about  a  fortniglit  the  excre- 
tions of  the  child  and  the  mother's  milk  were  asain 
examined,  and  the  proportions  of  earthy  elements 
had  greatly  increased,  nearly  to  the  amount  found  on 
the  first  analysis. 

We  are  convinced  that  the  degree  of  solidity  and 
bulk  of  the  bones  of  a  child,  previous  to  birth,  must 
depend  upon  the  amount  of  calcareous  or  osseous 
matter  in  the  food  of  the  mother,  taken  during  ges- 
tation ;  and  that  the  process  of  foetal  ossification 
might  be  so  far  retarded,  that  a  more  elastic,  yield- 
ing, or  India-rubber  condition  of  the  child  might  be 
secured,  and  the  mother  be  relieved  from  much  of  the 
sufferings  and  dangers  now  attendant  upon  cliild-bear- 
ing.  Especially  is  such  a  view  impressed  upon  us, 
by  the  fact  that  in  various  countries  and  parts  of  the 
world,  the  females  are  comparatively  free  from  the 
evils  attending  those  of  Europe  and  North  America. 
"  Stevenson's  Twenty  Years'  Residence  in  South 
America,"  relates  that  "  Among  the  Arancanian 
Indians  of  South  America,  a  mother,  immediately 
on  her  delivery,  takes  her  child,  and  going  down 
to  the  nearest  stream  of  water,  washes  herself  and 
it,  and  returns  to  the  usual  labors  of  her  station." 
Many  accounts  have  been  given  of  these  and  the  fe- 
males of  other  tribes  requiring  no  more  than  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes  for  all  purposes  connected  with  their 
delivery.     These  easy  births  have  generally  been  ac- 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         69 

counted  for  on  the  supposition  of  their  being  favored 
in  physical  structure  and  climate  ;  but  this  idea  is 
expressly  denied  by  Professor  Lawrence,  in  his  Lec- 
tures on  Physiology,  who  states,  "  The  very  easy  la- 
bors of  negresses,  aboriginal  Americans,  and  other 
women  in  the  savage  state,  have  been  often  noticed 
by  travelers.  This  point  is  not  explicable  by  any 
prerogatives  of  physical  formation,  for  the  pelvis  is 
rather  SMALLER  in  these  dark-colored  races  than 
in  the  European  and  other  white  people.^^  That 
they  are  not  favored  by  climate  is  evident  from  the 
fact,  that  the  females  of  the  North  American  tribes 
have  as  easy  labors  as  those  of  the  Central  and  South 
American.  In  this  country,  also,  and  in  England, 
cases  have  occurred  where  females  who  have  gen- 
erally suffered  severely,  have  occasionally  given  birth 
with  such  ease  as  to  surprise  both  themselves  and 
friends.  A  case  occurred  to  our  own  knowledge,  but 
a  few  years  ago.  A  lady  who  had  given  birth  to  four 
children,  suffered  from  the  two  first  and  the  fourth, 
all  the  danger  and  difficulties  usually  attending  par- 
turition, while  the  third  was  born  with  the  greatest 
ease.  It  was  quite  fresh  in  the  memories  of  her 
friends,  that  from  an  early  period,  and  during  the 
whole  time  of  gestation  of  the  third  child,  she  was 
excessively  fond  of  oranges,  limes  and  lemons,  which 
she  took  in  such  abundance  that  she  required  but 
very  little  other  food.  Her  desire  for  these  fruits 
was  so  very  great  that^  although  the  husband  remon- 


70       THE  CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH. 

strated,  and  friends  advised  lier  to  leave  them  off  lest 
she  should  injure  herself,  she  continued  to  live  almost 
entirely  upon  them.  To  her  own  and  her  friends' 
surprise,  however,  she  gave  birth  to  a  fine  child  with 
so  much  ease  and  safety,  that  notwithstanding  the 
supposed  impropriety  of  so  doing,  she  was  able  to 
resume  her  ordinary  duties  in  a  few  days  afterwards. 
During  her  first,  second  and  fourth  periods  of  ges- 
tation, she  lived  in  the  ordinary  way. 


PAET    SECOND. 
— ^^ —  /. 


••/ 


CHAPTER  VI.  / 

Additional  proofs  that  the  calcareous  Earthy  Mat- 
ter of  the  Body  is  derived  solely  from  the  Food 
and  Drink.  ■ 

"  The  wise  man  eats-  with  his  brain,  the  fool  with  his  mouth." 

In  the  month  of  January,  1841,  a  female  in  Lon- 
don was  induced  to  try  an  experiment  to  assuage 
the  sufferings  during  her  anticipated  labor.  She  had 
indeed  endured  considerable  agony  on  two  former 
occasions,  and  was  now  a  third  time  full  seven  months 
advanced  in  gestation.  She  commenced  by  eating  an 
apple  or  an  orange,  or  both,  morning  and  night. 
This  was  continued  until  she  found  she  could  take 
more  without  inconvenience.  Then  her  food  con- 
sisted chiefly  of  roasted  apples,  fresh  animal  food, 
green  vegetables,  some  potatoes,  sago,  milk,  a  little 
bread  and  butter,  very  little  coffee  or  tea,  and  no 
pastries.  She  continued  this  course  about  six  weeks, 
when  to  her  surprise  and  satisfaction,  her  legs  and 
feet,  which,  when  she  began,  were  swelled  and  pain- 
ful, and  the  veins,  which  were  so  large,  full,  and 
readv  to  burst,  had  returned  to  their  former  state,  and 


72  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

she  became  altogether  as  active  and  light  as  previous 
to  her  pregnancy.  Her  spirits  were  as  active  and 
cheerful  as  her  body  was  buoyant,  and  she  had  no 
complaint  of  any  kind  up  to  the  night  of  her  delivery. 
At  twelve  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  March  3d,  the 
surgeon  was  sent  for,  the  delivery  was  safely  and 
easily  effected,  and  at  one  o'clock  he  had  left  the 
room.  Had  she  not  been  influenced  by  custom,  she 
might  have  resumed  her  duties  the  next  day.  But 
prejudices  and  notions  of  propriety  must  be  complied 
with. 

This  experiment  completely  proved  the  truth  of 
the  conclusion,  that  in  proportion  as  a  female  subsists 
during  gestation  upon  aliment  free  from  calcareous 
earthy  matter,  will  she  retard  the  consolidation  of  the 
child,  and  thus  prevent  pain  and  danger  in  the  de- 
livery. Hence  the  following  may  be  given  as  an 
axiom  for  the  guidance  of  females  at  these  particular 
times.  The  more  ripe  fruits^  and  the  less  of  other 
kinds  of  food,  hut  particularly  of  bread  or  pastry 
of  any  kind,  they  consume  during  pregnancy,  the 
less  difficulty  will  they  have  in  labor. 

"  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that,  though  phosphate  of 
lime  is  always  found  in  the  urine  of  adults,  this  salt 
is  not  evacuated  by  infants.  The  rapid  formation  of 
the  bones,  in  the  first  periods  of  life,  requires  that 
there  should  be  no  waste  of  any  of  the  phosphoric 
salts."— Par A:e '5  Chemical  Catechism. 

The  infant  not  ha%nng  lived  long,  has  not  consumed 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  73 

much  food,  and  what  it  has  taken  being  required 
to  complete  the  formation  of  the  bones,  cannot  leave 
much  for  the  secretions.  But  in  the  urine,  &c.,  of 
the  adult,  who,  by  living  longer,  has  deposited  more 
earthy  matter  in  the  body,  and  the  bony  fabric  being 
completed,  it  is  found  in  considerable  quantities  ;  and 
in  still  greater  proportion  in  the  secretions  of  aged 
persons. 

The  flesh  of  animals,  in  proportion  to  the  age,  and 
therefore,  the  amount  of  food  and  earthy  matter 
which  has  been  taken  in,  becomes  dry  and  solid — ap- 
proaching more  to  the  nature  of  cartilage  and  bone. 
In  very  old  animals,  a  great  portion  of  the  tendons  is 
converted  into  cartilage,  the  cartilage  into  bone  ;  and 
the  bones,  now  become  solid  and  brittle,  constitute  by 
far  the  greatest  part  of  the  body.  Hence  the  emaci- 
ated, fleshless,  death-like  condition,  presented  by  ex- 
treme old  age. 

The  urine  of  a  female  when  pregnant,  contains  less 
earthy  matter  than  when  she  is  not  so.  It  is  no 
doubt  taken  up  in  the  formation  of  the  bones  of  the 
foetus. 

As  age  advances,  or  rather,  as  the  consolidation  of 
the  body  increases,  the  composition  of  the  teeth  gra- 
dually changes  : — the  amount  of  earthy  matter  in- 
creasing, and  the  gelatine,  or  animal  glue,  diminish- 
ing. The  following  table  is  from  Branded  Chem- 
istry. 

5 


74  AN     INQUIRY     INTO    THE 

Roots  of  the  Tec  til : — 

Phosphate  of  lime, 58 

Carbonate  of  lime,  4 

Cartihige, 28 

Water  and  loss. 10 

Total,  100 

First  Teeth  of  Cliildren  :— 

Phosphate  of  lime, 62 

Carbonate  of  lime, 8 

Cartilage, 20 

Water  and  loss, 10 

Total,  100 

Teeth  of  Adults  :— 

Phosphate  of  lime, 64 

Carbonate  of  lime, 6 

Cartilage, ." _ 20 

Water  and  loss, 10 

Total,  100 

Enamel  of  the  Teeth  : — 

Phosphate  of  lime,  78 

Carbonate  of  lime,  6 

Gelatine  (or  cartilage), 16 

Total,  100 

Sometimes  the  amount  of  earthy  matter  becomes 
so  great,  and  the  cartilage  or  gelatine  which  holds  it 
together  so  little,  that  the  teeth,  even  in  youth,  will 
begin  to  crumble  and  wear  away  like  a  piece  of  chalk ; 
and  this  very  often  without  the  individual  feeling 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  *75 

mucli  pain.  Persons  thus  affected,  will  ahvays  be 
found  great  consumers  of  bread,  puddings,  pies,  and 
other  flour  preparations,  all  of  which  contain  a  large 
amount  of  phosphate  of  lime.  By  a  course  of  diet  of 
a  different  nature,  several  persons  have  succeeded  in 
arresting  the  progress  of  decay,  and  fixing  the  re- 
maining teeth  more  firmly  in  the  gums. 

The  broken  limbs  of  old  people  do  not  unite  so 
readily  as  those  of  children,  and  persons  in  the  prime 
of  life — because  in  advanced  age,  although  there  is 
more  bony  matter  in  the  system,  the  vessels  which 
should  convey  it  to  the  wounded  part  being  obstruct- 
ed, the  union  cannot  take  place. 

The  periods  called  puberty  and  maturity,  are 
simply  conditions  or  states  of  the  body,  the  develop- 
ments of  which  depend  on  certain  degrees  of  arterial 
ossification.*     Both  which  may  be  brought  on  sooner 

*  I  have  in  my  possession  a  beautiful  specimen  of  ossification  of 
the  arteries,  which  I  obtained  from  a  man  whom  I  dissected  while 
a  student.  The  ossification  commenced  in  the  Primitive  Iliacs 
where  they  leave  the  Aorta,  involving  the  Internal,  External, 
Femoral,  Circumflex,  Profunda,  and  the  entire  arteries  and  all  their 
branches  to  their  extremities.  The  arteries  of  the  upper  extremi- 
ties were  also  ossified,  and  the  ascending  veins  from  the  feet  up  to 
the  knee  joint.  One  of  these  rare  specimens  I  gave  to  Dr.  Mott, 
who  loojfed  upon  it,  as  not  only  rare,  but  treasures  it  with  great 
care  as  the  only  specimen  of  the  kind  he  ever  saw,  I  have  never 
seen  before  or  since,  nor  have  I  ever  read  any  account  of,  the  ossifi- 
cation of  the  veins.  I  understood  Dr.  Mott  to  say,  that  while  he 
,was  listening  to  some  European  Lecturer,  (the  name  I  have  for- 
gotten,) he  spoke  of  having  seen  such  a  specimen.  The  man  in 
whom  I  found  this  wonderful  ossification  was  a  sailor,  and  I  under- 


76  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

or  later,  according  to  the  intensity  of  tlic  consolidat- 
ing, or  clioking-up,  process.  It  is  possible  to  force  a 
child  througli  the  various  stages  of  life,  much  earlier 
than  usual ;  or  to  delay  them  for  any  extraordinary 
period,  by  simply  regulating  the  amount  of  solid  mat- 
ter in  the  food.  Children,  when  overworked,  as  in 
many  instances  in  this  country  and  in  England,  ne- 
cessarily devour  a  greater  amount  of  solid  food  than 
would  otherwise  be  sufficient.  Thc}^  consequently 
deposit  the  greater  amount  of  earthy  matter  which 
that  food  contains,  into  the  system.  The  capillary 
vessels  are  sooner  obstructed  to  those  degrees  which 
constitute  puberty  and  manhood,  and  thus  they  cease 
to  grow,  and  become  men  and  women  (such  as  they 
are)  at  an  earlier  age  than  those  around  them  who 
have  been  placed  under  different  circumstances. 
Children  who  are  not  overworked,  but  who  are  great 
eaters  of  solid  grain  food,  arrive  at  these  states  much 
sooner  than  others  of  different  habits.  The  sooner  an 
individual  comes  to  maturity,  the  sooner,  if  the  same 
habits  are  continued,  will  he  come  to  the  period  of  old 
age,  decrepitude,  and  death.  There  seems  to  be  no  ex- 
ception to  this  principle,  either  in  the  animal  or  vege- 

stooil  he  fell  from  the  yard-arm  of  a  ship  and  broke  his  neck.  My 
only  wonder  was,  that  he  did  not  break  his  neck  long  before.  I 
should  judj^e  his  age  to  have  been  about  50  or  55,  though  he  looked 
to  be  one  hundred.  How  a  man  could  have  lived  so  long  with  the 
arteries  and  veins  of  the  lower  extremities,  and  the  arteries  of  the 
upper  extremities  completely  iilled  with  ossific  matter,  is  mystery 
tndy  wonderful. 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         77 

taljle  world.  So  true  is  it,  that  the  average  age  to 
which  any  species  of  organized  beings  exist,  may  be 
almost  determined,  by  knowing  the  time  at  which 
they  arrive  at  maturity,  or  begin  to  propagate. 

As  manhood  is  attained,  the  skin  begins  to  be  in- 
crusted  with  a  plaster-like  substance,  which  accu- 
mulates as  age  advances.  If  the  linen  of  some  per- 
sons, after  being  worn  a  few  days,  be  well  shaken,  a 
quantity  of  dust,  like  flour,  will  come  from  it.  If 
the  body.J)e  well  rubbed  with  a  dry  hard  brush  or 
cloth,  the  same  flour -like  substance  will  be  obtained. 
This  dust,  when  analyzed,  is  found  to  consist  of  gel- 
atine combined  Avith  bony  or  earthy  matter.  That 
it  is  originally  derived  from  the  food  and  drink,  is 
evident  from  the  fact,  that  its  presence  on  the  skin 
is  proportionate  to  the  amount  and  quality  of  food 
consumed.  Aged  people,  for  instance,  having  con- 
sumed for  a  period  of  sixty  or  eighty  years  an  im- 
mense amount  of  earthy  matter  into  the  system,  are 
incrusted  to  a  much  greater  extent  than  young  per- 
sons. Old  people  of  the  same  age,  also  differ  much 
in  this  respect ;  those  having  taken  freely  of  solid 
grain  food,  always  being  worse  than  such  as  have 
been  more  sparing  in  their  habits,  and  have  consumed 
more  fresh  vegetables,  fruits,  fish,  flesh,  &c.,  and  less 
flour  preparations. 

Women  generally  eat  less  food,  and  labor  and  per- 
spire less  than  men  ;  and  are  therefore  less  incrust- 
ed with   calcareous  matter.     Their  skins  are  much 


78  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

smoother,  and  more  pliant,  and  on  this  as  well  as  on 
other  accounts,  they  ma}^  justly  be  styled  the  "  soft- 
er sex."  In  advanced  age,  however,  they  are  more 
or  less  aficcted  with  this  external  impurity.  For  the 
same  reasons,  we  observe  that  the  skin  of  a  child  is 
much  softer  and  cleaner  than  that  of  an  adult.  This 
collection  of  gelatinous  and  calcareous  matter  upon 
the  surface  of  the  body,  is  highly  injurious  to  health  ; 
insomuch  as  it  prevents  the  elimination  of  the  super- 
fluous vapors  and  secretions  which  the  skin  alone  is 
calculated  to  discharge.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  part  of  the 
general  ossification  of  the  system,  which  is  the  source 
of  disease,  and  ultimately  of  death  itself.  It  ought 
very  forcibly  to  remind  us  of  the  absolute  necessity 
of  keeping  the  surface  of  the  body  clean,  not  only  by 
frequent  washing,  but  by  actual  grooming,  or  scrub- 
bing with  a  rough  cloth,  or  a  close,  strong  brush,  or 
horse-hair  gloves  or  belts,  sold  by  all  respectable 
druggists.  As  the  earthy  matter  which  often  incrusts 
a  common  tea-kettle,  is  deposited  in  consequence  of 
the  water  which  held  it  in  solution  being  converted 
into  steam  and  driven  ofi';  and  as,  therefore,  the 
more  the  water  contains,  the  more  will  be  the  quan- 
tity deposited  in  the  vessel,  and  the  sooner  will  it  be- 
come incrusted  or  ''  furred  up"  ;  so,  in  the  same 
manner,  the  fluids  of  the  body  are  constantly  passing 
ofi"  in  the  shape  of  sensible  and  insensible  perspira- 
tion, or,  in  other  words,  changing  into  vapor  and  gas. 
7.t  may  be  called  boiling  away.     The  more  we  eat 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  79 

and  drink  of  substances  containing  calcareous  earth, 
the  more  Tvill  enter  into  the  composition  of  the  blood, 
the  more  will  be  deposited  internally  as  well  as  on  the 
skin  ;  and  therefore,  the  sooner  will  the  whole  system 
become  ossified,  or  filled  or  choked  up,  and  the  soon- 
er will  old  age,  rigidity,  decrepitude  and  death  take 

place. 

Persons  of  a  dull,  cadaverous  appearance,  with 
harsh  rough  skins,  who  are  thm  and  bony,  and  con- 
tinually troubled  with  some  complaint  or  other,  are 
mostly  attached  to  food  of  a  solid,  earthy  nature, 
such  as  bread,  puddings,  pies,  tarts,  cakes  and  flour 
preparations  in  general.  We  do  not  mean  to  assert 
that  such  persons  never  partake  of  other  substances, 
but  simply  that  grain  in  some  form  is  the  basis  of 
their  diet.  The  same  may  be  said  of  such  as  are 
troubled  with  bad  teeth,  gout,  ulcers,  pimples  and 
blotches  of  every  kind,  and  who  are  susceptible  of 
colds,  headaches,  &c.,  and  more  particularly  is  this 
the  case  when  the  individuals  are  of  a  costive  habit 
of  body,  because  then  much  injurious  matter  is  re- 
tained, that  would  otherwise  have  been  discharged. 
On  the  contrary,  those  who  are  bright  and  lively  in 
appearance,  who  have  clear  and  shining  skins,  full  in 
flesh,  bones  small  and  flexible,  seldom  troubled  with 
disease  of  any  kind,  and  who  are  generally  stirring 
and  animated,  are  generally  partakers  more  of  fresh 
vegetables,  greens,  fruits  and  animal  food,  fish,  fowls, 
eggs,  and  all  kinds  of  albuminous  and    saccharine 


80  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

substances,  and  often  fond  of  a  glass  of  good  brandy 
and  water,  T>ine,  ale,  or  other  kinds  of  alcoholic 
and  fermented  beverages,  and  Tvho  care  little  for 
gross,  solid  grain  food  in  any  of  its  forms. 

Heavy,  clumsy  persons,  ^vhose  movements — when 
they  do  move — are  stiff  and  awkward,  are  always 
great  consumers  of  graniverous  diet,  whether  young 
or  old,  while  the  more  active  and  lively  are  mostly 
fond  of  light,  fluid  and  saccharine  substances.  Let 
the  reader  look  around  him  and  notify  these  matters 
for  himself,  and  the  truth  of  these  remarks  will  be 
evident.  If,  for  instance,  he  should  observe  at  any 
time  a  big,  clumsy  lad,  whose  greatest  pleasure  con- 
sists in  doing  all  kinds  of  mischief,  in  teazing  and 
tormenting  every  one  about  him,  on  inquiry  it  will  be 
found  that  he  is  fonder  of  eating  and  destroying  than 
producing  anything  in  return.  If  he  could  be  seen 
at  meals,  he  would  appear  like  a  hungry  wolf  devour- 
ing all  that  came  in  his  way  without  ever  being  sat- 
isfied. 

It  may  here  be  remarked  that  the  stomach  is  an 
elastic  bag  or  sac,  and  the  more  food  is  put  into  it, 
the  more  it  is  distended,  and  the  larger  it  becomes. 
Hence,  the  more  a  person  eats,  the  more  he  requires 
to  eat  in  order  to  satisfy  himself ;  and,  very  often, 
such  a  diseased  state  of  the  stomach  and  bowels  is 
produced  by  this  habit,  that  the  greatest  eaters 
are  nevertheless  the  most  bony  and  ill-looking. 
Many  persons  who  are  full  in  flesh  and  healthy  in 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        81 

appearance,  are  less  eaters  than  such  as  are  thin  and 


meager. 


These  facts,  and  many  others  which  could  be  ad- 
vanced, all  tend  to  support  and  prove  the  position, 
that  the  food  and  drink  alone  are  the  source  of  the 
calcareous  earthy  matter  'which  is  gradually  deposit- 
ed in  the  body,  which  by  degrees  brings  on  a  state  of 
induration,  rigidity,  decrepitude,  consequent  cessa- 
tion of  consciousness  or  death.  We  have  seen  that 
different  kinds  of  food  and  drink  contain  these  earthy 
elements  in  different  proportions  ;  and  we  cannot  but 
conclude,  that  the  more  we  subsist  upon  such  articles 
as  contain  the  largest  amount,  the  sooner  shall  we 
become  ossified  ;  and  the  more  we  live  upon  such  sub- 
stances as  are  comparatively  free,  the  longer  will 
health,  activity,  and  life  continue. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Proofs  that  the  Duration  of  Life  is  Proportionate 
to  the  amount  of  Earthy  Substances  Presented 
in  the  Food  and  Drink. 

In  Pinnock's  edition  of  Goldsmith^s  History  of 
England^  the  following  note  appears  : — 

"  Itis  stated  by  Plutarch  that  the  Ancient  Britons 
only  began  to  grow  old  when  a  hundred  and  twenty 
years  of  age  !  Their  arms,  legs,  and  thighs  were  al- 
ways left  naked,  and  for  the  most  part  were  painted 
blue.  Their  food  consisted  almost  exclusively  of 
acorns,  berries  and  water." 

Other  histories  mention  fish,  fowls  and  the  flesh  of 
wild  animals,  as  well  as  eggs,  milk,  and  the  fruits, 
leaves,  and  roots  of  the  forest,  as  occasionally  form- 
ing portions  of  their  diet.  These  articles  contain  a 
much  smaller  amount  of  earthy  matter  than  the  fa- 
rinaceous or  grain  food,  used  in  the  present  day,  and 
hence  their  very  extraordinary  longevity.  Such  food 
must  also  produce  a  wonderful  degree  of  activity  and 
strength.  Dr.  Henry,  in  his  History  of  England, 
states,  that  they  were  remarkable  for  their  "  fine 
athletic  form^  strength  and  swiftness  of  foot.  They 
excelled  in  runnings  icrestling,  climbing^  and  all 
kinds  of  bodily  exercise  ;  they  were  patient  of  pain. 


/ 


THE  CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         83 

toil^  fatigues^  hunger^  cold,  and  all  manner  of  hard- 
ships.^^ 

The  food  of  the  New  Zealanders,  and  many  of  the 
South  Sea  Islands,  consists  of  flesh,  fish,  fowls,  eggs, 
fruits,  roots,  berries,  leaves,  and  sometimes  sea- 
weeds, all  of  which  contain,  on  an  average,  a  compar- 
atively small  amount  of  earthy  substances  ;  and  we 
learn  from  the  accounts  of  those  who  have  visited 
and  lived  amongst  these  people,  that  they  are  healthy 
and  energetic  to  beyond  the  age  of  a  hundred  years  ! 
They  go  to  war,  follow  the  chase,  obtain  a  support 
by  hunting,  fishing,  and  roaming  the  forests,  and  in 
short,  are  equal  to  the  finest  young  of  this  country 
long  after  one  hundred  years !  A  gentleman  who 
has  spent  seven  years  among  them  declares  that  he 
has  known  many  who  could  not  remember  their  ages 
to  within  ten  or  twenty  years. 

Herodotus  gives  us  an  account  of  a  people  of 
Ethiopia,  who,  because  of  their  longevity,  were  call- 
ed "  Macrobians."  Their  diet  consisted  entirely  of 
roasted  flesh  and  milk,  both  of  which  contain  a  small 
amount  of  earthy  matter.  They  were  remarkable 
for  their  "  beauty,  and  the  large  proportion  of  their 
body,  in  each  of  which  they  surpassed  other  men." 
"  These  '  Macrobians  '  lived  to  a  hundred  and  twenty 
years,  and  some  to  a  longer  period  !" 

The  ancient  Gynosophists  of  India  subsisted  en- 
tirely upon  fruits  and  fresh  vegetables.  It  was  a 
part  of  their  religious  ordinances  to  eat  nothing  but 


84  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

■\N-hat  tlic  sun  had  ripened  and  prepared  for  food, 
"without  any  fartlicr  preparation.  This  diet  contain- 
ed a  very  small  proportion  of  earthy  elements  ;  and, 
it  is  said,  that  these  people  -were  perfectly  healthy, 
and  scarcely  ever  died  a  natural  death.  They  lived 
to  a  hundred  and  fifty,  and  two  hundred  years ;  and 
some  lived  so  long,  that,  disgusted  with  the  sins  and 
follies  of  the  world,  they  became  weary  of  their  lives, 
and  actually  committed  themselves  to  the  flames. 
These  suicidal  proceedings  were  no  doubt  encouraged 
by  the  hope  of  realizing  a  more  perfect  state  of  ex- 
istence in  some  other  region  of  the  universe. 

It  was  a  doctrine  commonly  taught  by  the  Pagans 
of  various  parts  of  the  world,  that  the  goddess  of 
Justice,  usually  named  Astraga,  a  daughter  of  Jupi- 
ter, and  represented  with  her  e.yes  bound,  a  sword  in 
one  hand,  and  a  pair  of  scales  in  the  other,  came 
down  from  heaven,  to  live  with  mankind,  during  the 
golden  age  ;  but  at  length,  the  world  became  so  cor- 
rupted, that  she  left  the  earth,  and  returned  to 
heaven,  where  she  formed  the  constellation  Virgo. 
She  still  looks  down  Avith  regret  upon  the  iniquities 
and  consequent  sufferings  of  men,  and  whenever  the 
world  becomes  virtuous,  she  will  return  and  live 
among  us. 

Many  persons  in  our  own  da)",  have  been  so  grieved 
at  the  wickedness  and  miseries  of  the  world,  as  to 
find  no  other  consolation  than  that  arising  from  sui- 
cide.    But  no  enlightened  individual  capable  of  un- 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  85 

derstanding  the  origin  and  purpose  of  evil,  and  the 
probable  condition  of  humanity,  can  for  a  moment 
think  of  self-destruction. 

The  peasantry  of  those  parts  of  Ireland  Avhere 
wheaten  bread,  or  any  kind  of  grain  food  is  scarcely 
ever  tasted,  but  where  potatoes,  fish,  turnips,  greens, 
and  fresh  vegetables,  generally  form  their  principal 
diet,  all  of  which  things  contain  a  moderate  amount 
of  earthy  matter,  are  proverbial  for  health,  activity, 
and  a  tolerable  longevity. 

The  English  peasantry  consume  one  half  more 
solid  grain  food,  as  bread  and  pastry,  than  the  Irish, 
and  are  greatly  inferior  both  in  health,  activity,  dura- 
tion of  life,  and  in  temper  and  disposition.  Although 
the  same  external  conditions,  fresh  air  and  exercise, 
and  much  better  clothing  and  lodging,  are  enjoyed  bj 
the  English,  they  are  more  bony,  rigid,  clumsy,  and 
stupid  than  the  Irish.  Neither  have  they  as  much 
generosity,  attachment,  or  affection;  for  it  can  be 
demonstrated  that  the  moral  qualities  of  the  people 
depend  greatly  upon  their  habits  of  living — upon  the 
nature  of  their  diet. 

Fishermen,  and  others,  who  live  upon  the  margins 
of  our  bays,  rivers  and  seas,  and  whose  diet  is  prin- 
.cipally  fish,  potatoes,  and  green  vegetables,  enjoy 
good  health,  and  a  very  fair  longevity. 

Writers  on  Natural  History  inform  us,  that  the 
wild  hog  lives  free  from  disease  to  the  age  of  300 
years.     Its  food  consists  of  fruits,  chestnuts,  roots, 


86  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

acorns  and  grass,  "VN'lth  occasional  grains.     This  food 
contains  very  little  earthy  matter. 

The  swan  is  said  to  attain  the  age  of  300  years. 
Its  food  consists  of  fish,  worms,  grass,  weeds,  and 
fresh  water  muscles,  or  swan-muscles,  as  they  are 
called.  This  food  contains  only  a  small  portion  of 
earthy  matter. 

"  Some  time  ago,  a  male  swan,  w^hicli  had  seen 
many  generations  come  and  go,  and  witnessed  the 
other  mutations  incidental  to  the  lapse  of  two  hun- 
dred years,  died  at  Rosemount.  He  w^as  brought  to 
Dunn  when  the  late  John  Erskine,  Esq.,  was  in  in- 
fancy ;  and  was  then  said  to  be  an  hundred  years 
old.  About  two  years  ago,  he  was  purchased  by  the 
late  David  Duncan,  Esq.,  of  Rosemount;  and  within 
that  period  his  mate  brought  him  forth  four  young 
ones,  which  he  destroyed  as  soon  as  they  took  the 
water.  Mr.  Malison  Bridget,  (in  whose  museum  the 
bird  is  now  to  be  seen,)  thinks  it  might  have  lived 
much  longer,  but  for  a  lump  or  excrescence  at  the. 
top  of  the  windpipe,  which,  on  dissecting  him,  he 
found  to  be  composed  of  grass  and  tow.  This  is  the 
same  bird  that  was  known  and  recognised  in  the 
early  years  of  octogenarians,  in  this  and  the  neigh- 
boring parishes,  by  the  name  of  '  the  old  Swan  of 
Dunn  !'  " — Medical  Gazette, 

Rooks  and  crows  live  to  a  great  age,  more  than  a 
hundred  years,  and  they  feed,  the  latter  upon  flesh, 
carrion,  and  putrid  offal,  the  former  upon  fresh-water 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  87 

muscles  and  other  shell-fish,  grubs,  snails,  caterpil- 
lars, and  sometimes  grains  and  seeds.  This  food  is 
not  very  earthy. 

When  the  crows  find  the  shells  too  hard  for  their 
bills,  they  carry  them  up  to  a  considerable  height  in 
the  air,  when,  by  dropping  them  down  upon  a  rock  or 
stone,  the  shells  are  fractured,  and  the  fish  picked 
out  easily. 

The  raven,  hawk,  goose,  and  other  birds  of  similar 
habits,  are  known  to  live  for  a  long  period.  Their 
food  consists  of  flesh,  fish,  worms,  and  all  kinds  of 
garbage,  which  contains  but  little  earthy  matter. 

The  pelican  lives  to  more  than  a  hundred  years  of 
a,ge.     His  food  consists  principally  of  fish. 

The  heron,  crane,  sea-gull,  and  others  of  a  like 
nature,  live  to  a  great  age.  Their  food  is  chiefly 
fish. 

The  eagle  is  supposed  to  attain  a  great  age.  Ta- 
citus says  500  years. 

"Thy  youth  is  renewed  hke  the  eagle's.'' — Psalm  ciii.  v.  5. 

Its  food  consists  of  flesh  and  fish,  which  contain  a 
much  less  amount  of  earthy  ingredients  than  the 
flour  food  of  the  human  species. 

Some  of  the  parrot  species  are  believed  to  live  in 
their  native  state  five  or  six  hundred  years  ;  and  their 
food  is  mostly  of  the  pulp  of  fruits,  which  is  almost 
free  from  earthy  matter. 

Common  fowls,  the  sparrow,  tame  pigeons,  singing 


88  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

and  domesticated  birds,  that  feed  upon  bread,  seeds, 
and  grain  of  different  kinds,  wliich  food  is  liigldy 
charged  with  earthy  substances,  live  only  from  ten  to 
twenty  years. 

The  elephant  subsists  upon  fruits,  flowers,  meadow- 
plants,  and  the  leaves  and  tender  shoots  of  trees — 
particularly  the  banana,  cocoa,  palm,  and  sago  tree 
— all  which  contain  a  small  proportion  of  calcareous 
earth,  and  it  lives  to  a  great  age.  Thompson,  the 
poet  of  nature,  thus  sets  forth  the  longevity  of  the 
elephant : — 

"  With  gentle  might  endue(^ 
Though  powerful,  not  destructive  ;  here  he  sees 
Revolving  ages  sweep  the  changeful  earth, 
And  empires  rise  and  fall ; — regardless  he 
Of  what  the  never-resting  race  of  man 
Project." 

The  horse,  cow,  pig,  dog,  and  other  domesticated 
animals,  subsist  upon  food  which  contains  a  larger 
amount  of  earth  than  their  natural  food,  or  that 
which  they  choose  in  a  wild  state,  and  we  perceive  a 
corresponding  difference  in  the  periods  of  their  ex- 
istence. It  is  a  well  known  fact  to  carters  and 
others,  who  feed  horses,  that  corn  food,  although  it 
makes  them  plump  and  fleshy,  soon  renders  them 
rigid,  and  materially  shortens  their  existence.  It  is 
a  common  remark,  when  a  horse  is  stiff  and  lifeless, 
"  that  it  is  no  wonder  when  we  consider  what  a  quan- 
tity of  corn  he  has  had." 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  89 

It  is  customary  for  sportsmen,  when  they  require 
greyhounds  for  activity  and  swiftness  in  coursing,  to 
give  them  as  little  solid  food  as  possible  ;  and  to  feed 
them  upon  rice  or  sago  pudding,  mixed  with  a  large 
quantity  of  currants. 

The  monkey  tribes  are  supposed  to  live,  in  their 
wild  state,  to  a  great  age.  They  consume  fruits  and 
herbs — they  are  also  known  to  eat  eggs,  small  birds, 
cocoa  and  nuts.  When  brought  to  this  country, 
however,  their  food  is  changed,  and  they  are  fed  upon 
bread  and  potatoes,  which  being  more  earthy  than 
their  natural  element,  bring  on  symptoms  of  decrep- 
itude, and  in  five  or  six  years  they  die  of  apparent 
old  age.  If  the  proprietors  of  these  animals  would 
allow  them  plenty  of  fruits,  their  natural  food,  they 
would  live,  even  in  the  North  here,  much  longer  than 
they  do  at  present. 

The  pike  or  jack,  as  well  as  most  other  fish,  is 
known  to  attain  a  great  age,  Gesner  says,  "  That 
the  longevity  of  the  pike  is  almost  incredible.  He 
mentions  as  an  instance,  one  that  was  taken  in  Hail- 
barn,  in  Swabia,  in  the  year  1497,  with  the  words 
engraven  on  a  ring, — ^  I  am  the  fish  that  was  first  of 
all  put  into  this  lake,  by  Frederick  II.,  Oct.  5,  1230.^ 
This  gave  it  the  age  of  267  years." — Rhindh  Six 
Days  of  Creation. 

Some  naturalists  think  that  the  whale,  shark,  and 
some  others,  live  nearly  1000  years. 

Serpents  are  supposed  by  many  to  be  almost  im- 


90  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

mortal.     Sevcr.al  writers  have  declared  tlieir  belief 
that  the  serpent  never  dies,  but   continually  renews 

itself. 

"  The  wisdom  and  subtilty  of  the  serpent  are  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  Scripture,  as  qualities  which 
distinguish  it  from  other  animals ;  and  several  are 
the  instances  wherein  it  is  said  to  discover  its  cun- 
ning :  1.  When  it  is  old,  by  squeezing  itself  between 
two  rocks,  it  can  strip  off  its  skin,  and  so  grows  young 
again.  2.  As  it  grows  blind,  it  has  a  secret  to  re- 
cover its  sight  by  the  use  of  fennel.  3.  When  it  is 
assaulted,  its  chief  care  is  to  secure  its  head,  because 
its  heart  is  under  its  throat,  and  very  near  its  head. 
And  4.  W^hen  it  goes  to  drink  at  a  fountain,  it  first 
vomits  up  all  its  poison,  to  prevent  poisoning  itself  as 
it  is  drinking." — CalmeVs  Dictionary, 

The  present  population  of  London,  though  upwards 
of  two  millions,  and  the  modes  of  existence  of  thou- 
sands very  precarious^  yet  from  its  consumption  of 
animal  food,  &o.,  it  is  probably  the  most  healthy  in 
the  world.     Its  consumption  is  about  as  follows  : — 

Tons. 

Bullocks, 150,000 

Calves,    360,000 

Sheep, 1,000,000 

Lambs, 350,000 

Pigs, 340,000 

Fish,    140,000 

Immense  quantities  of  hares,  rabbits,  venison,  tur- 
tle, and  fowls  of  every  description. 


&. 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         91 

Wheat,  1,360,000  qrs. 

Butter, 18,000  tons. 

Cheese,   19,000     do. 

Potatoes, 800,000     do. 

^lilk, 13,000,000  gallons. 

Wine, 12,050,000     do. 

Ale,  porter,  cider,  perry,  home- 
made wines,  and  other  artificial 
drinks, 150,000,000  gallons. 

Besides  innumerable  tons  of  fresh  vegetables,  and 
garden  produce  of  every  kind  ;  vast  quantities  of  na- 
tive and  foreign  fruits, — fresh,  dried,  and  preserved ; 
sugar,  molasses,  oils,  sauces,  pickles,  and  every  pos- 
sible variety  of  natural  and  artificial  aliment,  from 
every  corner  of  the  earth.  There  are  not  less  than 
eight  hundred  persons,  men,  women,  and  children, 
obtaining  a  living  in  London  by  the  vending  of  water- 
cresses  alone.  The  total  sum  received  daily  for  this 
article,  is  about  <£28,560  sterling,  in  the  year." — 
3Iorning  Advertiser. 

It  appears  that  the  consumption  of  flour  in  Lon- 
don is  considerably  less  than  half-a-pound  daily  for 
each  inhabitant,  to  make  both  bread  and  pastry. 
The  articles  which  constitute  their  average  diet  con- 
tain much  less  earthy  elements  than  those  of  most 
other  cities  either  in  Europe  or  America.  And  not- 
withstanding the  frequency  of  destructive  fires,  fogs, 
many  accidents  on  land  and  river,  the  constant  in- 
flux of  strangers  from  every  clime,  and  of  every 
constitution,    the   prevalence    in    some   parts   of    so 


92  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

much  filtli,  disease,  and  misery,  and  the  tliousand 
otlier  drawbacks  to  the  general  health,  inevitable  to 
such  an  overgrown  city,  and  amidst  an  overgrown 
population  ;  they  enjoy  life  for  a  longer  period,  as 
will  be  seen  by  the  following  tables  of  annual  mor- 
tal it}-  : — 

London, 1     dies  out  of  every     46 

Geneva, 1  «  43 

Petersburgh, 1  «  37 

Baltimore; 1  «  36 

Leghorn,    1  "  35 

New  York, 1  «  35 

Berlin,    1  "  34 

Paris, 1  «  32.3 

Philadelphia, 1  «  31 

Naples, 1  "  28.2 

Brussels, 1  "  25 

Rome, 1  «*  24 

Amsterdam, 1  "  24 

Vienna, 1  "  22.5 

If  we  could  take  the  average  mortality  of  the  regu  • 
lar  well-conducted  inhabitants  of  London,  apart  from 
the  strangers,  and  occasional  residents,  their  mode  of 
living  being  less  of  an  earthy  character  than  others^ 
they  w^ould  exhibit  a  much  higher  standard  of  health 
and  longevity  than  the  same  number  of  persons  con- 
gregated under  similar  circumstances  in  any  other 
part  of  the  globe. 

The  poor  classes  of  society  ever3'where,  consume  a 
much  larger  quantity  of  bread,  or  flour,  and  potatoes, 
than  the  wealthier  classes,  chiefly  because  their  scanty 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  93 

means  will  not  enable  them  to  purchase  more  costly 
food.  The  wealthier  classes  use  more  animal  food, 
fowls,  fish,  fresh  vegetables,  fruits,  preserves,  wines, 
and  other  luxuries. 

j\Ir.  Cobden,  and  a  Mr,  East,  made  speeches  at 
Manchester  in  England  some  years  ago,  and  both 
proved  from  statistics,  that  in  proportion  to  the  pau- 
city of  a  man's  income,  is  the  proportion  of  bread  he 
consumes.  For  as  his  wages  rise,  he  purchases 
meat,  fruit,  and  vegetables,  and  diminishes  his  con- 
sumption of  bread.  Bread  and  potatoes  constituting 
so  large  a  proportion  of  the  icorkers"^  diet,  and  con- 
taining so  much  earthy  matter,  inevitably  renders 
them  more  liable  to  disease,  and  premature  old  age 
and  death.  And  so  it  is  found,  that  the  rate  of 
mortality  among  the  poor  of  England  is  much  greater 
than  among  the  rich,  as  the  following  table  will 
show  : — 

205  rich,  and  550  poor  die. 
244  "  "  426  " 
349  "  "  718  " 
737  "  "  1501  " 
1489  "  "  2873  " 
2787     "       "       .. 

From  the  above,  it  appears  that  at  every  stage 
of  life,  up  to  the  age  of  80,  the  number  of  poor  who 
die  is  double  that  of  the  rich. 

"  The  Egyptians  arrive  at  a  great  age.  Dr. 
Clott  speaks  of  a  man  whom  he  had  seen,  130  years 


From  the 

age 

of  25  to  40 

40  "  50 

50  "  60 

60  "  70 

70  "  80 

80  "  90 

94  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

old,  without  any  other  infirmity  than  cataract  in  one 
eye  ;  and  he  knows  another  now  living,  at  123  years 
of  age,  who  enjoys  a  perfectly  sound  state  of  health, 
and  has  several  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  is  80, 
the  second  T4,  the  third  three  years  old,  and  the 
youngest  only  a  few  months.  This  man,  at  the  age 
of  82,  cut  six  new  teeth,  which  he  was  obliged  to 
have  immediately  extracted,  on  account  of  the  pain 
and  inconvenience  they  occasioned  him." — Foreign 
Quarterly, 

Fruits  and  fresh  vegetables  enter  largely  into  the 
ordinary  food  of  the  Egyptians.  These  contain  a 
small  proportion  of  earthy  substances,  and  must 
tend,  by  preventing  the  consolidation  of  the  system, 
to  preserve  their  health,  and  lengthen  out  their  ex- 
istence. 

Women  are  generally  more  analogous  to  children  in 
their  choice  of  food  than  men ;  .they  also  consume  a 
smaller  quantity,  but  are  mostly  fond  of  the  best  de- 
scription. Instead  of  a  large  amount  of  rough,  solid 
food,  they  prefer  a  smaller  amount  of  aliment,  and 
that  of  a  more  fluid,  pulpy,  and  nutritious  nature. 
It  is  not  so  much  the  quantity  they  care  for,  as  the 
quality.  The  consequence  of  this  taste  is  the  avoid- 
ance of  a  large  amount  of  earthy  matter,  and  they 
are  therefore  softer  and  more  flexible — less  ossified 
than  men,  and  require  more  time  to  harden  and  "  fur 
up  "  to  that  degree  which  produces  death ;  hence 
women  are  found  to  live  longer  on  the  average  than 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  95 

men.     A  Dr.  Thompson,  in  a  lecture  published  some 
few  years  ago,  says  : — 

''  It  cannot  fail  to  be  remarked  as  a  striking  fact 
connected  with  human  mortality,  that  notwithstand- 
ing the  peculiar  and  more  severe  diseases  to  which 
females  are  necessarily  exposed,  and  their  more 
delicate  constitution,  they  are  more  long  lived  than 
males.  The  averao;e  of  males  in  Engrland  and  Wales 
in  1838  was  44,  while  that  of  females  was  47,  giv- 
ing an  average  of  7  per  cent,  of  excess  of  mortality 
among  the  males  over  the  females.  This  fact  is  the 
more  remarkable,  when  we  consider  that  upAvards  of 
one  hundredth  of  all  the  deaths  in  the  metropolis 
arise  from  diseases  peculiar  to  females,  while  they ' 
are  equally  exposed  to  all  other  diseases  of  a  mortal 
nature. 

"  In  Sweden,  the  whole  number  of  females  in  1763, 
was  to  that  of  males,  in  the  proportion  of  nine  to 
ten.  The  number  of  old  women  who  exceeded  80 
years  of  age,  was  to  that  of  old  men  of  the  same 
age,  in  the  proportion  of  33  to  19  :  and  there  were 
more  women  who  had  attained  the  age  of  86,  than 
men,  by  almost  two  to  one." — Sihly. 

In  America,  the  deaths  among  the  women  are  in 
proportion  to  the  men  as  50  to  55.  The  number  of 
widows  is  to  the  number  of  widowers,  as  3  to  1. 

On  this  principle  we  may  at  once  account  for  the 
fact,  that,  notwithstanding  the  causes  of  disease  and 
dangers  peculiarly  incidental  to  females,  their  num- 


96  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

ber  is  considerably  greater  than  that  of  males  over 
the  civilized  globe,  and  this,  too,  -^'hen  for  thirt)^  years 
there  has  been  a  general  x^eace  !  So  that  this  differ- 
ence cannot  be  attributed  to  the  sacrifice  of  males  in 
war,  but  to  tlie  greater  longevity  of  females  ;  which 
extra  longevity  is  the  consequence  of  their  attach- 
ment to  a  less  solid  and  earthy  food.  It  is  true  that 
many  women  are  as  stout  and  bony,  and  as  rough  as 
men,  and  as  liable  to  premature  decrepitude  and 
death ;  but  these  will  always  be  found  to  eat  and 
drink  like  men. 

The  primitive  Christians  of  the  East,  when 
driven  to  the  desert  by  persecution,  lived  upon  a 
'daily  allowance  of  twelve  ounces  of  bread,  with  water 
for  drink,  and  they  attained  an  average  age  of  from 
one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  years.  It 
is  clear  that  if  a  person  lives  upon  a  small  amount 
of  food,  containing  a  large  proportion  of  earthy  mat- 
ter^ he  may  live  as  long  as  one  who  consumes  a  large 
amount  of  food,  containing  a  small  amount  of  earthy 
matter,  and  vice  versa.  The  effects,  so  far  as  the 
amount  of  earthy  substances  deposited,  and  the  con- 
sequent ossification  of  the  bod}',  is  concerned,  being 
in  both  cases  the  same.  Here  we  discover  the  cause 
of  some  persons  having  lived  to  great  ages,  who  have 
been  remarkable  for  their  abstemious  habits,  and  of 
others  having  attained  to  equal  ages,  who  have  been 
noted  for  their  indulgence  both  in  eating  and  drink- 
ino".     The  primitive  Christians  are  instances  of  the 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         97 

former,  and  the  latter  may  be  instanced  by  the  fol- 
lowing cases. 

In  the  105th  year  of  his  age,  Mr.  Thomas  Whit- 
tington  died  at  Hillingden,  Middlesex,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1804.  This  gentleman  retained  his  faculties 
apparently  undiminished  to  the  very  last  hour  of  his 
life.  His  long  life  was  rendered  remarkable,  not  by 
abstemiousness,  nor  hy  temperance^  but  by  the  con- 
trary line  of  conduct ;  by  his  constant  attachment  to 
hearty  meals,  and  his  propensity  to  drinking.  Mr. 
Whittington's  favorite  liquor  was  gin,  of  which  he 
seldom  failed  to  take  a  tolerable  portion,  till  witliin  a 
fortnight  of  his  dissolution. 

Mr.  Henry  Hastings,  a  very  celebrated  sportsman, 
lived  in  the  time  of  James  the  First,  and  his  son 
Charles  the  First.  He  was  second  son  to  the  Earl 
of  Huntington,  and  inherited  a  good  estate  from  his 
mother.  His  oyster-table  stood  at  the  lower  end  of 
his  room,  which  was  in  constant  use  twice  a  day,  all 
the  year  round,  as  he  never  failed  to  eat  oysters  both 
at  dinner  and  supper.  At  one  end  of  his  room  was 
a  door,  which  opened  into  a  closet,  where  stood  bot- 
tles of  strong  beer  and  wine  ;  answering  to  this 
closet  was  a  door  into  an  old  chapel,  which  had  been 
disused  for  devotion  ;  but  in  the  pulpit,  as  the  safest 
place,  was  always  to  be  found  a  cold  chine  of  beef, 
a  venison  pastry,  a  gammon  of  bacon,  or  a  great  ap- 
ple pie,  with  thick  crust,  well  baked.  His  sports 
supplied  all  but  beef  and  mutton,  except  on  Fridays, 

6 


08  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

■\vhcn  he  had  the  best  of  fish.  He  drank  a  couple  of 
glasses  of  -wine  at  meals  ;  put  syrup  of  gillyflowers 
into  his  saek  ;  and  liad  always  a  tun-glass  of  beer 
standing  beside  him,  Avhich  he  often  stirred  with  rose- 
mary. He  lived  to  110,  never  lost  his  sight,  and 
never  used  spectacles.  He  rode  to  the  death  of  the 
stag  till  near  100  years,  and  died  in  1639. 

Mafieus,  a  Portuguese  author,  who  wrote  the 
"  History  of  the  Indies,"  who  has  always  been  con- 
considered  a  model  of  veracity,  as  well  as  of  elegant 
composition,  mentions  a  man  by  the  name  of  J^umas 
de  Cugna,  a  native  of  Bengal,  who  died  iij  the  year 
1566,  at  the  incredible  age  of  370  years  ! 

••'  He  was  a  person  of  great  simplicity,  and  quite 
illiterate  ;  but  of  so  extensive  a  memory,  that  he  w^as 
a  kind  of  living  chronicle,  relating  very  distinctly 
and  exactly  what  had  happened  within  his  knowl- 
edge, in  the  compass  of  his  very  long  life,  together 
with  all  the  circumstances  attending  it.  He  had 
four  sets  of  teeth,  and  the  color  of  his  hair  and 
beard  had  been  frequently  changed  from  black  to 
gray,  and  from  gray  to  black.  He  asserted,  that  in 
the  course  of  his  life,  he  had  had  seven  hmidred 
wives,  some  of  whom  died,  and  the  others  he  had  put 
away.  The  first  century  of  his  life  passed  in  idola- 
try, from  which  he  was  converted  to  Mahometanism, 
which  he  continued  to  profess  till  his  death." 

This  account  is  confirmed  by  another  Portuguese 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  99 

author,  Ferdinand  Lopez  Costequeda,  who  was  His- 
triographer  Royal. 

Margaret  Patten,  aged  137,  of  St.  Margaret's 
Workhouse,  London  ;  a  Scotch  woman.  She  always 
enjoyed  good  health,  and  subsisted  for  many  years 
mostly  on  milk. 

Charles  Macklin,  Esq.,  aged  107,  of  St.  James' 
street,  London,  an  eminent  dramatic  writer,  and  cel- 
ebrated comedian  of  Covent  Garden  Theater;  the 
veteran  father  of  the  stage.  He  had  long  been  in  a 
state  of  natural  decay,  yet  his  spirits  never  forsook 
him  till  a  few  minutes  before  his  final  exit,  which 
took  place  without  a  groan. 

"  In  the  former  part  of  his  life,  till  about  45,  he 
lived  very  intemperately  and  irregularly,  sitting  up 
whole  nights  at  a  debauch,  afterwards  sitting  up  to 
hard  work  and  violent  exercise.  Subsequent  thereto, 
he  determined  to  live  by  rule,  which  he  scrupulously 
observed.  It  then  was  his  custom  to  promote  per- 
spiration, and  then  changed  his  linen.  When  he  af- 
terwards drank  too  much,  he  always  took  a  pill  to 
prevent  headache  next  morning.  His  principal  food 
was  flesh,  fish,  fruits  and  vegetables.  Instead  of 
tea,  he  took  milk  sweetened  with  sugar.  About  the 
year  1764,  he  lost  all  his  teeth  from  his  early  impru- 
dences, and  afterwards  confined  himself  to  fish,  eggs, 
jellies,  fruits  and  spoon  food.  Having  suffered  a  se- 
vere attack  of  rheumatism,  he  avoided  most  of  its 
pains  by  sleeping  in  blankets.     For  the  last  twenty 


100  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

years,  he  never  took  off  his  clothes,  unless  to  change 
them,  or  be  rubbed  all  over  with  warm  brandy  or 
gin,  or  with  warm  water." 

Ann  Day,  aged  108,  a  well  known  English  gipsy. 
She  had  not  slept  in  a  bed  for  70  years  ;  and  for  the 
last  40  years  she  had  not  a  tooth  in  her  head,  nor 
sight,  but  by  one  eye.  She  lost  three  of  her  toes 
by  frost,  and  by  sleeping  in  the  snow  one  evening 
lost  the  use  of  one  of  her  arras.  She  died  under  a 
hedge,  near  Henslow,  Bedfordshire,  and  was  buried 
at  Arsley,  near  that  town. 

John  Wilson,  aged  100,  of  Sosgill,  Cumberland. 
He  was  formerly  a  blacksmith,  which  profession  he 
followed  near  sixty  years ;  in  all  which  time  his  bev- 
erage was  milk  or  water,  with  the  daily  exception  of 
two  glasses  of  ale,  and  one  glass  of  spirits. 

Ann  "Bannerman,  aged  105,  of  Aberdeen.  She 
principally  subsisted  on  vegetables  and  small  beer. 

Hon.  Mrs.  Watkins,  aged  110,  of  Glamorganshire. 
For  the  last  thirty  years  she  subsisted  entirely  on 
fruits  and  vegetables. 

Rev.  Mr.  Davies,  aged  105,  of  Hereford,  Rector 
of  Staunton-upon-Wye  and  Vicar  of  All-Saints, 
Hereford.  He  was  a  remarkably  hearty  eater,  and 
was  quite  as  hearty  a  drinker.  He  never  went  to 
bed  without  a  moderate  allowance  of  wine,  and  he 
never  had  the  gout,  stone,  colic,  or  any  of  those  in- 
firmities of  a  disagreeable  kind,  which  generally  at- 
tend old  age. 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         101 

William  Sharply,  aged  138,  of  Knocliall,  county 
of  Roscommon,  Ireland.  He  lived  well  and  regular, 
but  was  very  far  from  being  abstemious. 

John  Riva,  aged  116,  of  Venice,  exchange  broker. 
He  always  chewed  citron  bark,  drank  wine  mode- 
rately, and  had  a  child  after  he  was   100  years  old. 

Owen  Carollan,  aged  127,  of  Dulech,  Meath,  Ire- 
land, laborer.  His  food  was  principally  potatoes, 
butter  and  milk,  with  plenty  of  cherries  during  the 
season. 

Elizabeth  Macpherson,  aged  117,  of  Caithness, 
Scotland.  Her  diet  was  buttermilk  and  greens. 
She  retained  her  health  and  senses  till  near  her  death. 

Mr.  Dobson,  aged  139,  of  Hadfield,  farmer.  His 
diet  was  principally  flesh,  fruits,  vegetables,  milk 
and  cider.  Ninety-one  children  and  grandchildren 
attended  his  funeral. 

John  de  la  Somet,  aged  130,  of  Virginia.  He  was 
a  great  smoker  of  tobacco,  which,  agreeing  with  his 
constitution,  may  not  improbably  be  reckoned  the 
cause  of  his  uninterrupted  health  and  longevity. 

Phillip  Laroque,  aged  102,  of  Frie,  in  Gascony, 
butcher.  At  the  age  of  92  he  cut  four  new  teeth, 
was  drunk  regularly  twice  a  week,  till  he  was  100 
years  old,  and  worked  hard  till  his  death. 

Francis  Confit,  aged  150,  of  Burythorpe,  near 
Malton,  Yorkshire.  He  was  temperate  in  his  living, 
and  used  great  exercise,  which,  together  with  his  eat- 
ing new-laid  raw  eggs,  enabled  him  to  attain  such  an 


102  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

extraordinary  aojo.     lie  retained  liis   senses  to  the 
last. 

"  Philip  Loutier,  aged  105,  of  Shoreditch,  Lon- 
don, a  French  barber.  He  drank  nothing  but  water, 
and  eat  only  once  a  day." 

"  Mrs.  Boyce,  of  Guildford,  Surrey,  aged  107. 
By  temperance  she  acquired  constant  health,  and  re- 
tained her  senses  to  the  last." 

"  Paul  Barrot,  aged  106,  of  Nice,  a  priest.  He 
continued  in  good  health  by  living  on  vegetables." 

"  Mary  Rogers,  aged  118,  of  Penzance,  Cornwall ; 
lived  the  last  sixty  years  on  vegetables." 

"  Fluellyn  Pryce,  aged  101,  of  Glamorgan.  His 
organs  had  been  so  little  injured  by  the  weight  of 
years,  that  within  three  years  of  his  death,  he  di- 
rected a  village  choir  in  some  variations  for  the  Sun- 
day. He  never  used  spectacles  till  within  fifteen 
months  of  his  dissolution  ;  and  possessed  a  great 
flow  of  spirits,  attended  with  sound  health  and  ac- 
tivity, which  blessings  were  the  result  of  his  abste- 
mious manner  of  living.  Herb  teas  were  his  break- 
fast ;  meat,  plainly  dressed,  his  dinner  ;  and,  instead 
of  a  supper,  ho  refreshed  himself  with  smoking  a 
pipe  of  tobacco." 

"  Joseph  Ekins,  aged  103,  of  Combe,  Berks,  la- 
borer. He  never  suffered  a  week's  illness  ;  and,  for 
the  last  forty  years,  subsisted  entirely  on  bread,  milk, 
and  vegetables." 

"  Henry   Grosvenor,    aged   115,    a  gentleman  of 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        103 

French  extraction,  of  Inch,  county  of  Wexford,  Ire- 
land, surveyor  of  the  coast,  at  Blackwater.  He  was 
very  sparing  in  his  diet,  and  used  much  exercise." 

"  Spottiswood  mentions  one  Kentigen^  (afterwards 
called  St.  Mongah,  or  Mungo,)  who  never  tasted 
wine  or  strong  drink  after  he  came  to  the  years  of 
understanding,  and  slept  on  the  ground,  notwithstand- 
ing which  he  lived  to  the  very  extraordinary  age  of 
185  years." 

"  Valentine  Cateby,  aged  116,  of  Preston,  near 
Hull.  His  diet  for  the  last  twenty  years  was  milk 
and  biscuit.  His  intellect  was  perfect  till  within 
two  days  of  his  death." 

"  John  Wilson,  aged  116,  of  Warlingworth,  Suf- 
folk. His  suppers,  for  forty  years,  were  roasted 
turnips." 

Edward  Drinker,  aged  103,  of  Philadelphia.  He 
lived  on  very  solid  food,  drank  tea  in  the  afternoon, 
but  eat  no  supper." 

"  Donald  McGregor,  aged  117,  of  the  Isle  of  Sky, 
in  Scotland,  farmer.  He  was  temperate  at  meals, 
and  took  much  exercise." 

"  Alexander  Macintosh,  aged  112,  of  Marseilles. 
For  the  last  ten  years  he  lived  entirely  on  vegetables, 
and  enjoyed  a  good  state  of  health  till  within  two 
days  of  his  death." 

"  James  le  Measurer,  aged  118,  of  St.  Jean  Pied 
de  Port,  in  Navarre.  His  common  food  for  some 
years  was  vegetables." 


104  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

"  Lewis  Morgan,  aged  101,  of  Lhvingtdod,  Rad- 
norshire. His  death  was  occasioned  by  a  fall  :  he 
was  in  perfect  possession  of  his  faculties,  lived  chiefly 
on  vegetable  diet,  and  drank  frequently  of  the  famous 
rock  water  of  Llrandridod." 

"  Mr.  Smith,  aged  103,  of  Dolver,  Montgomery- 
shire, farmer,  was  never  known  to  drink  anything  but 
buttermilk." 

"  Cardinal  de  Salis,  aged  110,  Archbishop  of  Se- 
ville, died  in  1785.  He  enjoyed  to  the  last  every 
faculty  except  strength  and  hearing.  He  used  to  tell 
his  friends,  when  asked  what  regimen  he  observed, 
'  By  being  old  when  I  was  young,  I  find  myself  young 
now  I  am  old.  My  diet  was  sparing,  though  deli- 
cate ;  my  liquors,  the  best  wines  of  Xerez  and  La 
Mancha,  of  which  I  never  exceeded  a  pint  at  any 
meal,  except  in  cold  weather,  when  I  allowed  myself 
a  third  more.  I  rode  or  walked  every  day,  except  in 
rainy  weather,  when  I  exercised  for  a  couple  of 
hours.  So  far  I  took  care  of  the  body  ;  and,  as  to 
the  mind,  I  endeavored  to  preserve  it  in  due  temper, 
by  a  scrupulous  obedience  to  the  divine  commands, 
and  keeping  (as  the  Apostle  directs)  a  conscience 
void  of  offence  toward  God  and  man.  By  these  in- 
nocent means,  I  have  arrived  at  the  age  of  a  patri- 
arch, with  less  injury  to  my  health  and  constitution 
than  many  experience  at  forty.  I  am  now  like  the 
ripe  corn,  ready  for  the  sickle  of  death  ;  and,  by  the 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         105 

mercy  of  my  Redeemer,  have  strong  hopes  of  beh:g 
translated  into  his  garner.'  " 

"  Ann  Davies,  aged  102,  of  Tetbury,  Gloucester- 
shire. She  had  the  perfect  use  of  her  faculties  till 
the  last  minute  of  her  life.  She  had  not  been  out  of 
her  room  for  the  last  fifty  years  of  her  life,  nor  ever, 
during  that  period,  even  in  the  most  extreme  cold 
weather,  would  suffer  any  fire  in  her  chamber." 

"  Jonas  Warren,  aged  107,  near  Baldoyle,  in  Ire- 
land, fisherman.  His  appetite  was  so  keen,  that, 
within  a  few  weeks  of  his  death,  he  ate  near  three 
pounds  of  solids,  and  drank  three  pints  of  ale,  at 
one  meal." 

"  William  Riddle,  aged  one  hundred  and  sixteen, 
of  Selkirk,  in  Scotland.  This  man,  who  in  the  early 
part  of  his  life,  was  a  considerable  smuggler,  and  re- 
markable for  his  love  of  brandy,  which  he  drank  in 
very  large  quantities,  was  always  so  fond  of  good  ale, 
that  he  never  drank  a  drought  of  pure  water.  He 
was  not  a  drunkard,  but  had  frequent  paroxysms  of 
drinking,  which  continued  several  successive  days. 
After  his  ninetieth  year,  he  at  one  time  drank  for  a 
fortnight  together,  with  only  a  few  intervals  of  sleep 
in  his  chair.  He  was  three  times  married  ;  when  he 
married  his  third  wife,  he  was  ninety-five  years  of 
age.  He  retained  his  memory  and  other  faculties,  to 
his  death.  In  the  last  two  years  of  his  life,  his  chief 
subsistence  was  a  little  bread  infused  in  ale." 

"  James  Peters,,  aged  one  hundred  and  seven,  of 
6* 


106  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

Dundee,  a  traveling  packman.  Althougli  lie  often 
slept  in  the  fields  and  shades,  he  enjoyed  an  uninter- 
rupted state  of  good  health  ;  and,  until  the  last  year 
of  his  life,  retained  his  memory.  His  strongest  bev- 
erage was  small  beer." 

"  Daniel  Bull  M' Car  thy,  aged  one  hundred  and 
eleven,  of  the  county  of  Kerry,  Ireland.  At  the  age 
of  eighty-four  he  married  a  fifth  wife,  aged  fourteen, 
and  had  by  her  twenty  children,  one  every  year ;  he 
was  always  very  healthy,  and  never  observed  to  spit ; 
no  cold  affected  him ;  he  could  not  bear  the  warmth 
of  a  shirt  at  night,  but  put  it  under  the  pillow  ;  for 
the  last  seventy  years,  when  in  company,  he  drank 
plentifully  of  rum  and  brandy,  v,'hich  he  called  naked 
truth  ;  and  if,  in  compliance  with  solicitations,  he 
drank  claret  or  punch,  he  always  drank  an  equal 
glass  of  rum  and  brandy,  which  he  called  a  wedge. ^^ 

"  Margaret  Hunter,  aged  one  hundred  and  four,  of 
Newcastle.  Her  beverage  was  mostly  water  or  milk, 
havino-  never  drank  more  than  a  half-pint  of  malt 
liquor." 

"  Judith  Bannister,  aged  one  hundred  and  eight,  of 
Cowes,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight.  She  was  attended  to 
her  grave  by  eighty  of  her  descendants.  She  lived 
upon  biscuit  and  apples,  with  milk  and  water,  the 
last  sixty  years  of  her  life." 

"  On  Sunday,  the  15th  of  July,  1764,  died,  in  the 
one  hundred  and  twenty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  George 
Kirton,  Esq.,    of    Oxnop    Hall,  near  Keeth,  in  the 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        lOT 

county  of  York.  He  was  a  remarkable  instance, 
that  length  of  days  are  not  always  entailed  upon  a 
life  of  temperance  and  sobriety  ;  for  no  man,  even  till 
within  ten  years  of  his  death,  made  more  free  with 
the  bottle." 

'^  Died  lately  (1840),  at  Kingston-upon-Thames, 
Surrey,  Mr.  Worrall,  aged  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years.  For  the  sixty  years  previous  to  his  death,  he 
is  said  almost  to  have  lived  entirely  on  fermented 
and  spirituous  liquors." 

"  An  old  man  (name  unknown)  died  several  years 
ago,  at  Richmond,  Surrey,  at  the  age  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  vears.  He  was  seldom  sober  for  the  last 
thirty  years  of  his  life." 

"  John  Bay  lis,  of  Northampton,  was  reported  to  be 
one  hundred  and  thirty  years  of  age,  when  he  died. 
Dr.  Kiel  says,  '  His  diet  was  anything  he  could  get ; 
I  never  heard  he  was  fonder  of  any  one  kind  of  food 
than  another.'  " 

"  Old  Thomas  Parr  was  born  in  Winnington, 
in  Shropshire,  in  the  year  1483,  and  although  in  his 
youth  he  was  greatly  afflicted  with  the  king's  evil  and 
bloody  flux,  lived  to  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  years.  He  was  first  married  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
eight,  and  seemed  no  older  than  at  forty-five  ;  he  mar- 
ried a  second  time  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty ;  at  the  ad^^\nced  age  of  one  hundred  and  forty-five 
he  was  able  to  run  races,  thrash  corn,  and  accomplish 
any  kind  of  laborious  work.     He  frequently  ate  by 


108  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

night,  as  well  as  by  day,  and  always  preferred  the 
plainest  food.  He  might  be  seen  early  in  the  morn- 
ing,— 

"  Lusty  as  health,  come  ruddy  to  the  field, 
And  there  pursue  the  sport ;  as  if  he  meant  to  overtake  time, 
And  bring  back  youth  again." 

His  body  was  found  to  be  in  the  most  perfect  con- 
dition when  opened  after  death,  as  it  was  by  the  cele- 
brated Harvey. 

Taylor,  the  water  poet,  thus  describes  his  habits  : 

"  Good  wholesome  labor  was  his  exercise, 
Down  with  the  lamb,  and  with  the  lark  arise ; 
In  mire  and  toiling  sweat  he  spent  the  day. 
And  to  his  team  whistled  time  away ; 
He  was  of  old  Pythagoras'  opinion, 
That  green  cheese  was  most  wholesome  with  an  onion, 
Coarse  meslin  bread,  and  for  his  daily  swig, 
Milk,  buttermilk,  and  water,  whey,  and  whig ; 
Sometimes  metheglin,  and  by  fortune  happy, 
He  sometimes  sipped  a  cup  of  ale  most  nappy  j 
Cider,  or  perry,  when  he  did  repair. 
To  Whitsun  ale,  wake,  wedding,  or  a  fair ; 
His  physic  was  good  butter,  which  the  soil 
Of  Salop  yields,  more  sweet  than  candy  oil, — 
And  garlic  he  esteemed  above  the  rate 
Of  Venice  treacle,  or  best  mithridate." 

The  body  of  old  Parr  is  said  to  have  been  covered 
with  hair. 

"  From  head  to  heel,  his  body  had  all  over, 
A  quick  set,  thick  set,  nat'ral  hairy  cover." 

"  At  Valentia,   Ireland,  in  his  one  hundred  and 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        109 

sixth  year,  died  Mr.  John  Murphy,  commonly  called 
'  Paul  Jones.'  He  had  been  taken  prisoner  by  that 
remarkable  man,  when  commanding  a  French  squad- 
ron off  the  coast  of  Kerry.  When  he  sent  a  boat  on 
shore  at  Valentia,  for  a  supply  of  water,  the  people 
seized  the  boat  and  crew,  and  young  Murphy  being 
on  board  his  vessel  at  the  time,  as  pilot,  Paul  Jones 
carried  him  off,  and  he  was  compelled  to  serve  for 
two  years  in  the  French  frigate ;  during  which  time 
he  accumulated  a  good  sum  of  prize  money.  He  lived 
on  potatoes  and  milk ;  and,  notwithstanding  his 
wealth,  never  increased  his  comforts.  He  was  a  re- 
markably strong  man  ;  and,  till  within  the  last  few 
years,  hale  and  robust,  and  walked  and  rode." 

"•  It  has  been  said  that  the  Irish  laboring  classes 
are  a  remarkably  robust  race  ;  although  their  food 
consists  almost  exclusively  of  potatoes.  The  fact  is 
overlooked,  that  the  Irish  eat  a  quantity  of  potatoes 
so  enormous,  as  could  not  fail  to  make  up,  in  some 
measure,  for  the  want  of  animal  diet.  It  was  found 
by  the  Poor-Law  Commissioners,  that  the  greater 
number  of  peasantry  of  Ireland,  women  as  well  as 
men,  take  at  their  two  daily  meals,  in  general,  about 
nine  pounds  weight  of  this  food." — Chambers'^  Jour- 
nal^ JYo.  42. 

"  Francis  Wilkes,  of  Stowrbridge,  Worcestershire, 
laborer,  died  at  one  hundred  and  nine  years  of  age, 
was  very  abstemious  in  his  habits  of  eating,  and  sel- 
dom drank  anything  stronger  than  small  beer.     H'« 


110  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

poor  nciglibors  believed  he  had  bought  his  immortali- 
ty from  a  witch." 

"  Henry  Jenkins  lived  to  the  extraordinary  age  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  years.  He  was  born  on 
the  ITth  of  May,  1500,  at  Ellerton,  in  Yorkshire, 
and  died  in  167 0.  He  assisted  his  father  in  his  early 
years  as  a  fruit  grower,  and  market  gardener.  All 
his  family  were  remarkable  for  longevity.  An  only 
sister  of  his  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five,  and  his  grandmother  lived  to  the  age  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  years.  Old  Jenkins 
was  always  a  great  admirer  of  nature,  and  extremely 
fond  of  fruits,  floAvers,  and  herbs.  It  was  his  daily 
custom  to  rise  very  early,  with  the  '  song  of  earliest 
birds,'  and  wander  through  the  w^oods,  or  over  hill 
and  meadow,  at  peep  of  day,  in  quest  of  divers  me- 
dicinal herbs,  the  study  of  w'hich  he  was  so  fond  of. 

"  With  regard  to  the  diet  of  this  wonderful  old 
man,  it  was  always  simple  ;  consisting  mostly  of  cold 
meats  and  salads,  of  which  he  partook,  with  water  for 
his  drink,  in  moderate  supplies.  It  was  in  the  year 
1524,  during  the  reign  of  Henry  VIIL,  that  the  hop 
plant  Avas  introduced  into  England  from  Flanders, 
and  cultivated  for  the  preservation  of  beer  ;  which 
Jenkins,  being  a  great  advocate  for  bitters,  used 
for  that  purpose ;  and  he  never  found  a  moderate 
portion  of  that  beverage,  taken  once  a  day,  at  all  dis- 
agree with  him  or  hurt  him.  He  partook  of  light 
suppers,  frequently  walking  out  in  his  garden  after- 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         HI 

wards  to  promote  digestion.  Water  was,  however, 
his  favorite  beverage,  and  he  usually  drank  a  half 
pint  of  it  every  morning  when  first  he  arose.  Be- 
sides abstemiousness  in  the  article  of  food,  his  gene- 
ral habits  were  regular  and  sober.  Following  the 
directions  of  his  mother,  he  always  continued  the  use 
of  flannel  and  warm  clothing,  which  had  been  com- 
menced in  infancy.  He  was  robust  and  healthy  to 
old  age — a  hearty,  respectable,  good-looking  old 
man,  who  never  knew  what  real  illness  was,  until  a 
year  or  two  before  his  death.  He  warded  off  the  first 
attacks  of  disease  by  resorting  at  the  first  appear- 
ance of  the  enemy,  to  defensive  or  preventive  mea- 
sures, never  waiting  to  parley  with  the  insidious  foe  ; 
and  he  always  found  his  plan  successful. 

"  It  is  said  that  Jenkins  was  crossed  in  love  during 
his  younger  days ;  and  that,  taking  the  conduct  of 
the  fickle  fair  one  to  heart,  he  ever  afterwards  vowed 
enmity  to  a  wedded  life.  Whether  this  be  true  or 
not,  it  is  true  he  had  an  aversion  to  marriage.  It 
is,  however,  stated,  that  when  he  was  ninety  years 
old,  a  young  woman  was  pregnant  by  him,  for  which 
he  was  severely  lectured  by  the  minister  of  the 
parish,  and  nothing  but  his  age  excused  him  from 
doing  penance. 

"  When  Jenkins  was  near  his  hundredth  and  sixti- 
eth year.  King  Charles  II.,  being  informed  of  his  as- 
tonishing longevity,  expressed  a  desire  to  see  him  in 
London,  and  sent  a  carriage  purposely  to  convey  him 


112  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

thither.     lie  preferred,  however,  to  go  on  foot,  and  ac^ 
tually  walked  to  the  Metropolis,  in  easy  stages — a  dis- 
tance of  two  hundred  miles.    On  his  arrival  in  London, 
the  hoary  patriarch  was   introduced  to  his   majesty. 
The  King  introduced  Jenkins  to  his  Queen,  who  took 
much  interest  in  him,  putting  numerous  questions  to 
the  patriarch,  amongst  which  she  asked,  "  Well,  my 
good  man,  may  I  ask  of  you  what  you  have  done  dur- 
ing the  long  period  of  life  granted  to  you,  more  than 
any  other  man  of  shorter  longevity  7"     The  old  man 
looking  the  Queen  in  the  face,  with  a  low  bow  naively 
replied,  "  Indeed,  madam,  I  know  of  nothing  greater 
than  becomino;  a  father  when  I  was  over  a  hundred 
years  old!"     The  King  held  a  long  conversation  with 
him,  and  made  many  inquiries  as  to  his  mode  of  liv- 
ing ;  but  nothing  particular  being  observable  in  that, 
inquired  by  what  means  he  contrived  to  live  so  much 
longer   than  other  men.     To   this   he  replied,    that 
temperance   and   sobriety   of    living   had   been   the 
means,   by  the  blessing  of  God,  of  lengthening  his 
days  beyond  the  usual  limit.     The  King,  who  was 
fond  of  dissipation  and   luxury,  seemed   not   much 
pleased  with  some  of  Jenkins'   homely  maxims,  and 
dismissed  him ;  but  allowed  him  a  comfortal^Jje  pen- 
sion, which  he  enjoyed  the  remainder  of  his  life." 

In  the  Scriptures  we  are  told  that,  for  several 
centuries  after  the  deluge,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
was  about  the  average  period  of  human  life.  Abra- 
ham lived  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  years  of 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         113 

age ;  his  sons,  Isaac  and  Isbmael,  the  former  at  one 
hundred  and  eight}^,  and  the  latter  at  the  age  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-s^ven.  Jacob  lived  to  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  years  old,  and  his  son  Joseph 
reached  one  hundred  and  ten  years  of  age.  Long 
after  this  Moses  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years  old,  and  "his  eye  was  not  dim,  nor  his  natural 
force  abated."  Joshua  died  at  the  age  of  one  hun- 
dred and  nineteen  years. 

Louis  Cornaro,  a  Venetian  noble  born  in  146T,  was 
a  remarkable  man.  Having,  in  youth,  injured  his 
health  by  all  sorts  of  dissipa,tion,  he  resolved  to  re- 
store it,  and  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-eight  by  means 
of  a  particular  and  strict  regimen  of  diet.  He  pub- 
lished a  highly  valued  treatise  on  temperate  living, 
which  first  appeared  at  Padua  in  1558,  and  was  re- 
published in  many  languages. 

My  grandfather,  Edmund  Bostwick,  was  a  man  of 
a  quiet,  sedate,  contemplative  and  pious  character. 
He  was  never  known  to  laugh  or  whistle.  He  mar- 
ried Mercy  Ruggles.  They  had  thirteen  children. 
His  living  consisted  chiefly  of  vegetables  and  meat, 
— little  salt  and  little  bread — he  drank  but  very  lit- 
tle water.  He  was  never  sick  during  his  life,  nor 
even  at  his  death.  He  died  aged  99.  He  had  been 
out  walking — returned  home,  seated  himself  in  a 
chair,  and  died  suddenly  without  a  struggle.  His 
wife  lived  in  the  same  manner,  and  died  aged  90. 
His  first  son,   Ebenezer,   was  born  June   22,   1753. 


114  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

Dic-d  Marcli  16,  1840,  aged  87.  He  was  always  re- 
marked for  his  temperance,  peculiarity  and  simpli- 
city of  living,  follo^Ying  the  example  of  his  father  al- 
most to  the  letter.  He  was  orderly  sergeant  during 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  frequently  heard 
to  relate  the  following  anecdote.  "  Sergeant  Bost- 
wick,"  said  Washington,  "  take  good  care  of  the  sol- 
diers, for  it  takes  a  mother  a  long  time  to  make  a 
soldier."  His  second  son,  Elizur,  was  born  January 
13,  1755.  He  is  now  living  in  Edenburg,  Ohio,  and 
enjoying  good  health  and  spirits.  I  received  a  letter 
from  him  lately,  and  were  one  to  judge  from  the 
looks  of  it,  it  would  be  said  to  come  from  the  pen  of 
a  young  bookkeeper.  He  has  likewise  lived  much 
after  the  simplicity  of  his  father,  and  is  now  in  his 
96th  year.  His  son  Medad  was  born  January  14, 
1760  ;  died  1840,  and  was  80  years  of  age.  His  son 
Gershom,  born  4th  July,  1761  ;  died  11th  May,  1831, 
and  was  70  years  of  age.  His  son  Doctor,  born  Oc- 
tober, 16,  1764,  and  is  living  in  Edenburg,  Ohio,  en- 
joying the  best  of  health,  and  is  87.  His  daughter 
Lucy  was  born  March  5,  1772.  She  is  now  living 
on  the  borders  of  Lake  Chamxplain,  and  is  79  years 
old — enjoying  the  best  of  health.  His  son  Robert, 
born  March  15,  1774,  died  1845,  in  his  71st  year. 
His  son  Heman,  who  is  my  father,  and  the  youngest 
of  his  boys,  was  born  April  15,  1777,  and  is  still 
living  in  Monkton,  Vermont,  enjoying  the  best  of 
health,  and  is  in  his  74th  year.     He  is  remarkable 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        115 

for  his  great  strength  and  activity.  He  is  able  to 
go  into  the  field  and  do  a  greater  day's  work  than  the 
most  of  men  can  at  30.  He  lives  chiefly  on  vegeta- 
bles, corn  and  rye  bread,  and  has  always  been  in  the 
habit  of  drinking  a  little  whisky  ;  not  every  day,  but 
frequently.  He  is  a  house  builder,  and  has  always 
worked  hard  at  his  trade. 

It  will  here  be  seen,  by  adding  together  the  several 
ages  of  six  of  his  children  who  are  dead,  that  they  lived 
422  years,  and  the  four  yet  living  336,  making  a  to- 
tal of  758.  There  are  very  few  fathers  who  can 
boast  of  leaving  ten  children  out  of  thirteen,  who  at- 
tained to  such  old  age.  And  there  is  a  good  pros- 
pect that  the  four  yet  surviving  will  live  many  years. 
These  uncles  of  mine  have  been  remarkable  for 
their  temperance  in  living,  and  have  left  a  good  ex- 
ample for  their  nephew  to  follow,  and  I  shall  try  my 
best  to  profit  by  it. 

As  before  remarked,  it  is  not,  strictly  speaking,  the 
diet  itself  which  influences  the  process  of  ossifica- 
tion, but  the  earthy  substances  which  the  diet  con- 
tains. And,  as  the  proportion  of  earth  difiers  in 
difierent  articles,  it  will  be  obvious  that  persons  who 
indulge  freely  in  eating  and  drinking,  but  who  hap- 
pen to  select  such  kinds  of  food  and  drink  as  contain 
a  small  portion  of  this  matter,  will  be  quite  as 
healthy,  as  full  in  flesh,  as  good  looking  in  every  re- 
spect, and  as  hkely  to  live  to  as  great  an  age,  as 
those  who  are  abstemious,  and  consume  a  less  amount 


116  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

of  food  containing  a  large  proportion  of  eartliy  mat- 
ter. This  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  statesmen, 
clergymen,  merchants,  physicians,  and  the  middle 
classes  generally,  who  are  mostly  fond  of  ^vhat  is 
called  "good  living,"  are  as  healthy,  and  attain  to 
as  great  ages  as  any  other  class  in  society ; — as  Avill 
be  seen  from  the  following  table,  condensed  from 
Chambers^  Journal  : — 

Average  Duration  of  Life 

Statesmen  and  Lawyers   69.5 

,  Physicians    68. 0 

Divines  and  Theologians   67.4 

Llusical  Composers   65,7 

Philosophers  and  Mathematicians   65.5 

Artists   64.5 

Miscellaneous  Literary  Men   62.6 

Poets    59.8 

It  may  be  remarked,  in  reference  to  this  table, 
that  artists,  literary  men,  and  poets — the  last  in  par- 
ticular— are  in  general  exposed  to  more  privations 
than  the  other  classes  named  in  the  list ;  their  diffi- 
culties and  sufferings,  arising  from  poverty,  and  in 
some  cases  utter  destitution,  are  proverbial.  Being 
poor,  they  cannot,  of  course,  enjoy  many  luxuries  or 
choice  articles  of  food  ;  but  subsist,  for  the  most 
part,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  poorest  of  the  people 
— bread  and  potatoes  constituting  the  hasis  of  their 
diet.  This  food  being  of  the  most  earthy  and  gross 
kind,  necessarily  induces  decrepitude  and  death  at  an 
early  period.     Even   their  average  life,  which,  of 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         IVj 

course,  includes  those  in  good  circumstances,  is  eight 
or  ten  per  cent,  less  than  some  of  the  classes  who  are 
more  fortunate  in  condition  ;  and  who,  consequently, 
are  enabled  to  enjoy  more  nutritious  and  less  earthy 
aliment ;  but,  if  we  take  individual  cases,  we  shall 
find  a  still  greater  contrast.  There  is,  however,  an- 
other consideration  on  this  point.  Literary  men  and 
poets  are  generally  less  thoughtful,  as  to  what  they 
should  eat,  than  perhaps  most  other  persons.  They 
seldom  make  their  stomachs  their  study,  but  are  of- 
ten contented  with  that  kind  of  meat  which  is  soon- 
est prepared  ;  and  this  will  commonly  be  something 
made  with  flour  as  the  basis. 

The  paupers  in  England  are  fed  in  a  much 
more  liberal  style  than  those  of  Scotland :  the 
former  getting  about  30  ounces  of  solids  per  day, 
including  3  ounces  of  the  best  animal  food.  It  now 
becomes  of  importance  to  learn  how  the  paupers  in 
the  two  countries  thrive  on  their  respective  allowan- 
ces, and  here  a  very  surprising  result  meets  our  eye. 
The  deaths  in  the  Manchester  workhouse  from  Sep- 
tember 1,  1837,  to  August  31,  1838,  were  295, 
the  average  number  of  inmates  being  708.  In  the 
Edinburgh  workhouse,  during  the  five  years  preced- 
ing 1831,  the  average  annual  mortality  amongst  an 
average  of  400  inmates,  was  61|,  say  62.  Thus,  in 
the  Manchester  workhouse,  1  dies  for  every  2/^, — 
or  about  2J ;  while  in  the  Edinburgh  workhouse,  1 
dies   for  every   6-/jj,  or  about   61  ;  the  mortality  in 


118  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

Mancliestcr,  (wlicro  the  greatest  amount  of  solid  food 
is  given,)  is  near]}'  three  times  greater  than  in  Edin- 
burgh. 

The  returns  of  the  English  Prison  Discipline  So- 
ciety confirm  the  infallibility  of  this  principle. 

Amount  of  sickness 
Weekly  cost  of  maintenance  per  annum 

per  head  s.     d.  per  cent. 

Wakefield  House  of  Correction, 

Yorkshire, 1  8  J  6 

Suffolk  County  Jail, 19  10 

Woodbridge  Jail, 3  6  18 

North  Allerton, 5  OJ  37 

By  this  we  clearly  observe  that  sickness  and  dis- 
ease increase  just  in  proportion  as  the  consumption 
of  food  increases  !  This,  which  may  appear  incred- 
ible to  many,  is  nevertheless  verified  by  other  obser- 
vations. 

Amount  of  sickness 
Weekly  amount  of  solid  food  per  annum 

per  head.  Ounces.  per  cent. 

House  of  Correction  Cold-bath 

Fields,  London, 174  4J 

Guildford  House  of  Correction, .  230  9 

From  Returns  of  the  Poor-Law  Commissioners  re- 
specting the  diet  and  mortality  in  sixty  different  pri- 
sons, sickness  and  mortality  appear  to  increase  in 
proportion  as  the  consumption  of  food  increases. 

Average  weekly  consump-  Sickne<;s 

tinn  of  solid  food.  Ounces.  percent,  Death's. 

In  20  prisons, 188  3  1  in  622 

In  20  others, 213  18  1  "  320 

In  20  others, 218  23  1  "  266 

Although  we  have  seen  by  the  foregoing  tables,  and 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        119 

Other  evidence,  tliat  sickness  and  death  advance  with 
an  increase  of  solid  food,  it  by  no  means  follows,  that 
this  is  applicable  in  the  contrary  direction,  beyond  a 
certain  point.  It  certainly  would  appear,  at  first 
sight,  that  the  less  food  the  better  health,  and  the 
longer  life  ;  but  when  we  know  that  the  human  body 
is  constantly  wasting — that  its  elements  are  con- 
stantly being  thrown  off,  we  see  the  necessity  for  sup- 
plying, at  least,  as  much  nourishment  as  will  equal 
the  amount  wasted.  This  is  the  miiiimum  point. 
Below  this  we  cannot  go  without  producing  injury  to 
the  system.  If  we  fail  to  take  in  as  much  nutriment 
as  the  body  throws  off,  sickness  and  death  will  speedily 
ensue.  But  through  all  degrees  above  this  ininimum 
point,  we  may  consider  it  as  an  axiom,  that  the  less 
we  eat  and  drink,  the  more  shall  we  retard  the  ossi- 
fication of  the  body,  and  the  longer  shall  we  enjoy 
existence.  Abstemiousness,  so  far  as  regards  the 
food  in  ordinary  use,  as  bread,  potatoes,  and  similar 
gross  and  limy  articles,  will  certainly  conduce  to  elas- 
ticity and  longevity.  But  still,  if  we  take  care  to 
avoid  these  things  which  contain  a  large  proportion  of 
earthy  matter,  we  may  enjoy  the  same  amount  of 
health  and  length  of  days,  even  though  not  so  sparing 
in  our  diet.  It  may  be  repeated,  that,  if  this  one 
principle  be  attended  to,  there  will  not  be  much  occa- 
sion for  nicety  in  other  respects.  Let  it  be  under- 
stood, however,  that  we  neither  encourage  intemp- 
erance, gluttony,  nor  extravagance. 


120  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

The  facts  now  brought  forward,  and  which  are 
only  a  tithe  of  what  might  be  advanced,  tend  to 
prove,  in  the  most  unequivocal  manner,  that  in  pro- 
portion as  individuals,  classes,  or  even  nations,  sub- 
sist upon  aliment  containing  the  smallest  proportion 
of  earthy  elements,  do  they  prevent  or  retard  the  pro- 
cess of  consolidation,  maintain  a  state  of  health  and 
activity,  and  prolong  their  existence. 

As  long  as  we  can  supply  fuel  to  a  fire,  and  keep 
it  free  from  the  ashes,  it  will  continue  to  burn.  If 
this  can  be  done  for  one  hundred  or  a  thousand  ages, 
the  fire  will  continue  to  warm  and  enliven  for  that 
period ;  so  in  the  same  manner,  if  we  can  supply  the 
body  with  proper  food,  and  keep  it  free  from  the 
earthy  matter,  the  ashes  which  choke  it  up,  will  it 
continue  to  live.  Time,  or  the  number  of  years,  has 
nothing  whatever  to  do  with  old  age  or  death.  A 
man  is  old,  or  decrepit,  when  he  is  choked  up,  or  con- 
solidated, to  a  certain  extent ;  whether  he  is  ten, 
fifty,  or  one  hundred  years.  It  is  the  chemical 
changes  that  occur  in  the  body,  that  produce  disease, 
decrepitude,  and  death  ;  and  these  we  must  carefully 
consider.  The  wild  hog,  the  swan,  the  parrot,  eagle, 
and  other  creatures,  are  known  to  live  periods  of 
several  hundred  years  ;  the  whale,  and  others,  for  a 
thousand  years  ;  while  serpents  are  believed  by  many 
naturalists  to  avoid  death  altogether  !  !  The  ancient 
Britons,  and  others,  only  began  to  he  old — only  be- 
gan "  to  go  down  hill  "  at  a  hundred  and  twenty,  or 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.       121 

a  hundred  and  thirty  years  of  age !  Reader  !  what, 
art  thou  less  than  a  pig — a  swan,  an  eagle,  a  parrot, 
a  toad,  or  a  serpent ;  or  thine  ancestors  '?  Is  it  not 
sheer  ignorance  of  thy  organization — in  short,  is  it 
not  thy  ignorance  of  God  and  nature's  laws  alone 
which  kills  thee  1 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Various  Opinions  respecting  the  Preservation  of 
Life,  and  the  JYature  of  Calculi,  Gravel,  and 
Bladder  Diseases. 

From  tlie  remotest  antiquity,  the  human  mind 
seems  to  have  been  occupied  in  endeavors  to  preserve 
health  and  life  to  a  much  greater  period  than  is  usu- 
ally enjoyed.  Whatever  danger  or  difficulty  may 
beset  us,  our  whole  strength  and  energy  are  called 
into  action  to  defend  ourselves,  and  preserve  our  ex- 
istence. Destitute  of  ordinary  comforts  ;  deprived 
of  those  joys  which  render  existence  desirable  ;  strug- 
gling with  poverty  and  want ;  or  even  shackled  within 
the  gloomy  walls  of  a  dungeon  ;  life  still  has  its 
charms,  still  we  cling  to  it ;  and  it  seems  to  require 
a  total  subversion  of  every  prospect  of  happiness,  to 
render  existence  odious,  and  to  lead  us  to  self-de- 
struction. A  "  longing  after  immortality"  has  char- 
acterized the  human  race  in  every  age  ;  and  that  too, 
not  only  in  reference  to  a  future  spiritual  state,  but 
in  regard  even  to  a  conscious  condition  of  the  body. 

The  idea  that  life  might  be  greatly  prolonged,  ex- 
isted in  the  earliest  ages  of  which  we  have  any  re- 
cord. It  may  be  traced  in  the  annals  of  every  civil- 
ized nation  down  to  the  present  day.     The  dread  of 


THE  CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.      123 

pain,  the  fear  of  death,  and  the  desire  to  avoid  both, 
are  feelings  inseparable  from  man  in  every  condition  ; 
visible  alike  in  childhood,  manhood,  and  old  age  ;  in 
the  Christian  and  the  infidel ;  the  black  slave  as  well 
as  the  white  civilian  ;  in  the  wild  untutored  savage  ; 
and  the  highly  finished  scholar  and  philosopher. 

In  Egypt,  at  one  period,  it  was  thought  that  the 
best  means  of  preserving  health  and  life  were  fre- 
quently to  take  emetics,  and  to  keep  the  body  in  al- 
most a  constant  state  of  perspiration.  So  general 
was  this  idea,  that  it  became  a  custom  among  the 
people  to  address  each  other  with  :  "  How  do  you 
sweat?"  mstead  of  "  How  do  you  do?"  The  de- 
gree of  perspiration  was  supposed  to  indicate  the  state 
or  degree  of  health. 

The  philosophers  of  Greece  and  Rome,  in  general, 
endeavored  to  convince  the  people  that  the  best  and 
only  means  of  strengthening  the  body  and  preserving 
life,  consisted  in  the  judicious  use  of  the  various 
articles  necessary  for  the  system  ;  and  in  the  con- 
stant exercise  of  the  mental  and  bodily  faculties. 
Temperance,  free  and  pure  air,  bathing,  daily  fric- 
tion, and  gymnastics,  were  their  grand  panaceas. 

Dr.  P.  Holland,  of  England,  has  translated  a  work 
written  in  verse,  about  1099,  for  the  use  of  William 
the  Conqueror,  by  John  of  Milan,  entitled  Regimen 
Sanitatis  Salerni,  or  "  The  Regimen  of  Health," 
and  was  the  exponent  of  the  Physicians  of  Salerne,  at 
that  time  the  most  celebrated  school  of  medicine  in 


124  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

Europe.  Though  written  seven  hundred  years  ago, 
it  contains  about  as  much  useful  information  on  the 
subjects  of  Health  and  Life,  as  most  of  the  treatises 
of  modern  times. 

Jesuits,  cardinals,  and  philosophers,  from  Plutarch 
down  to  Sylvester  Graham,  including  Romans,  Ita- 
lians, Venetians,  Spaniards,  Piedmontese,  Austrians, 
Danes,  French  and  English,  have  endeavored,  by 
varied  and  incessant  ingenuit}'',  to  prolong  life.  As 
Dr.  Monroe,  the  celebrated  anatomist,  declared,  there 
was  nothino;  about  the  human  machine  to  indicate  its 
decay,  and  hence  a  deficiency  of  chemical  and  physio- 
logical knowledge  has  always  been  felt — a  desidera- 
tum of  some  kind  has  been  simultaneously  and  intu- 
itively acknowledged  among  all  people  and  all  races. 
Throughout  the  world,  in  every  heart,  has  been  re 
echoed  the  exclamation :  "  But  is  it  not  a  dismal 
thing  to  die  1"  There  is  no  disguising  the  fact  that 
to  leave  faces  familiar  and  beloved — to  descend  into 
the  cold  and  silent  tomb,  has  been  universally  dread- 
ed, and  carefully  avoided.  All  ranks  fear  it :  the 
poor,  the  rich,  the  slave,  the  savage  and  the  civilized. 
The  whole  earth  has  been  ransacked  for  materials  to 
avoid  the  consequences  of  decay.  Balsams,  powders, 
pills,  tinctures,  electricity,  galvanism,  mesmerism — 
anything  and  everything  has  been  tried,  lauded,  neg- 
lected and  forgotten.  The  conclusion  is  inevitable, 
the  source  of  the  evil,  the  primary  cause  of  natural 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  125 

death,  has  hitherto  not  been  discovered,  or  it  has 
been  overlooked. 

Chemical  investigations  have  unfolded  many  im- 
portant truths,  concerning  the  organic  constituents 
and  requirements  of  the  human  constitution.  The 
intimate  relation  of  chemical  science  to  physiology 
and  pathological  anatomy,  can  be  recognised  and 
fully  appreciated  by  those  alone  who  comprehend  and 
apply  its  invaluable  teachings  to  every  department 
of  individual  and  domestic  life.  By  it  "we  are  en- 
abled to  determine  what  food  is  legitimately  best 
adapted  to  organization,  development  and  reproduc- 
tion ;  and  by  it  we  can  rationally  ascertain  the  gen- 
eral causes  of  material  disarrangement,  glandular, 
urinary  and  bladder  diseases,  and  the  phenomenon 
of  structural  change,  or  physical  death.  The  causes 
of  the  latter  are  identical  with  those  physical  dis- 
turbances which  invariably  precede  the  local  devel- 
opment of  gravel,  stone,  gout  and  calculi.  Conse- 
quently a  knowledge  of  those  chemical  processes  in 
the  vital  economy,  which  ultimate  themselves  in  the 
disorganization  of  a  tissue,  a  gland,  the  porous  ram- 
ifrcation,  or  the  entire  system,  is  quite  indispensable. 

When  the  food  is  masticated,  it  passes  into  the 
stomach  to  undergo  the  process  of  digestion,  and 
when  converted  into  chyme,  it  enters  the  upper  end 
of  the  pylorus  and  ibto  the  duodenum,  or  second 
stomach,  and  being  mixed  with  the  pancreatic  juice, 
is  converted  into  chyle  and  excrement.     The  lacteal 


126  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

vessels  absorb  the  chyle,  T\-hich  is  freighted  with  the 
produce  of  the  food,  and  is  conveyed  by  them  and 
emptied  into  the  blood,  and  this  blood  it  is  which 
coursing  along  the  veins  and  arteries  forms  and  sup- 
plies the  body.  Everything  in  the  human  being  is 
derived  from  the  blood,  which  is  itself  the  essence  of 
the  food  taken  into  the  stomach.  The  philosophy  of 
eating,  therefore,  is  to  supply  the  brain,  spinal  mar- 
row, nerves,  muscles,  bones,  lungs,  liver  and  other 
organs,  with  aliment  appropriate  to  each  tissue,  and 
no  more.  But  as  Dr.  Playfair  testifies,  the  princi- 
pal portion  of  the  general  food  being  graniverous, 
and  a  large  proportion  of  that  being  earthy,  and  far- 
ther, that  the  blood  which  flows  from  the  heart, 
through  the  arteries,  contains  an  amount  of  solid 
matter  which  does  not  exist  in  it  when  returning  to 
the  heart  through  the  veins^  it  is  certain  that  this 
matter  must  be  left  in  the  minute  terminations  of  the 
arterial  vessels.  Pathological  chemistry  seems  to 
point  unhesitatingly  to  this  cause  for  checked  perspi- 
rations, constipation,  gout,  stiifness  of  joints,  &c. 
MoRGAGNi,  describing  a  case  of  gouty  dissection, 
says  : — "  On  the  middle  of  the  right  tibia  there  ap- 
peared an  oblong  tumor,  resembling  a  node,  over 
which  the  integuments  were  very  thin  and  ready  to 
burst ;  it  was  a  mere  deposition  of  chalk-like  mat- 
ter betw^een  the  skin  and  periosteum,  and,  though 
thick  and  large,  had  not  as  yet  done  any  injury  to 
the  bone.     One  of  the  great  toes  was  found  to  be 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.  12T 

much  enlarged  ;  and,  upon  dissection,  the  first  joint 
of  it  was  found  to  be  inclosed  in  a  bed  of  chalky 
matter  like  a  fossil  shell  ;  but  the  bone  itself  was 
neither  increased  in  size  nor  altered  in  its  texture." 

It  is  easy  to  perceive  that  the  chalk-stones  and  all 
similar  depositions  like  the  above  are  furnished  from 
the  food,  which  is  constitutional!}^  defective  in  its  nu- 
tritive elements. 

It  has  already  been  shown  that  almost  all  undis- 
tilled  drinks  contain  an  undue  proportion  of  earths 
and  salts.  These  earthy  particles  are  separated  to 
some  extent  from  the  blood  by  the  kidneys,  and  con- 
veyed by  the  ureters  to  the  bladder.  In  the  bladder 
although  much  of.  the  lime  and  salts  held  in  solution 
may  be  passed  off  with  the  urine,  just  as  much  of 
the  earthy  matter  in  a  tea-kettle  is  thrown  off  by 
poui'ing  out  water  into  a  tea-pot,  yet  much  is  deposit- 
ed at  the  bottom  of  the  bladder,  as  much  earthy  con- 
cretion furs  up  the  tea-kettle.  The  consequence  is 
to  lessen  the  action  of  the  bladder  and  kidneys,  and 
less  water  is  taken  from  the  blood.  Thus  is  not  only 
earth,  salts,  and  acids  deposited  in  the  bladder,  and 
the  kidneys,  producing  gravel  and  urinary  calculi,  but 
causes  pains,  weakness  in  the  back  and  dorsal  ex- 
tremities, inflammations,  ulcers,  and  thinness  and 
wateriness  of  blood. 

So  that  no  mistake  can  arise  as  to  the  nature  and 
results  of  this  earthy  concretion  in  the  kidneys  and 
bladder,  Willis  on  Urinary  Diseases,   says  : — "  The 


128  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

situation  in  wliicli  the  internal  deposition  of  sedimen- 
tary urine  takes  place,  may  be  said  (except  in  cases 
■where  foreign  bodies  are  introduced  into  the  bladder) 
to  be  invariably  the  body  and  pelvis  of  the  kidney. 
The  natural  nuclei  of  urinary  calculi  of  every  de- 
scription are  engendered  in  the  kidney  ;  were  there 
not  something  wrong-l^  at  the  moment  the  urine  is 
generated,  we  should  never  have  any  larger  concre- 
tion. Aggregations  of  these  particles  are  occasion- 
ally observed  clogging  up  the  tubuli ;  so  that  it  is  not 
even  in  the  pelvis  or  receptacle,  but  in  the  substance 
of  the  kidney  itself  that  the  deposition  of  solid  matter 
takes  place,  that  the  first  step  in  the  formation  of  a 
stone  is  achieved." 

When  the  urinary  concretions  are  small  in  size, 
and  are  passed  directly  from  the  kidney  through  the 
bladder,  they  are  characterized  by  the  name  of  gravel ; 
but  when  they  remain  long  lodged  in  the  pelvis  of 
the  kidney,  and  then  enter  the  ureter,  consolidating 
and  enlarging  by  the  law  of  attraction,  they  are  de- 
nominated stone,  and  in  its  passage  down  the  ureter 

*  What  Dr.  Willis  means  by  "  something  iwron^-,"  he  does  not  say, 
but  if  the  reader  will  turn  to  chap.  5,  Part  I,  he  will  find  the  follow- 
ing from  Parke's  Chemical  Catechism  :— "  If  fowls  are  kept  in 
a  state  of  confinement  where  they  cannot  get  any  calcareous  earth, 
they  lay  their  eggs  without  shells."  Now  it  must  be  evident  that 
if  no  earthy  ingredient  is  put  into  the  body  from  the  mouth,  no 
lime  or  aggregations  of  earth  can  he  engendered  anyivh.re^  or  under 
any  form,  either  in  the  pelvis,  or  the  kidneys  or  in  the  bladder. 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH,         129 

causes  the  strongest  man  to  quiver  in  agony,*  and  to 
become  helpless  as  a  child." 

Sir.  B.  C.  Brodie  thus  describes  Urinary  Calculi 
in  one  of  its  phases  : — "  Red  sand  is  congregated  in 
large  masses  in  the  bladder,  and  it  is  of  great  con- 
sequence that  we  should  stop  the  formation  of  this 
sand,  both  because  it  is  a  considerable  evil,  and  be- 
cause if  neglected  it  leads  to  the  formation  of  a  lar- 
ger concretion  in  the  bladder." 

Calculi,  or  earthy  concretions,  differ  very  much  in 
their  appearance  and  in  their  chemical  composition, 
as  observed  in  the  human  body.  They  have  been 
the  subject  of  searching  and  minute  analysis,  by 
Drs.  Wollaston,  Marcet,  Prout,  Henry,  Yellowly, 
and  Sir  B.  C.  Brodie.  The  following  is  a  summary 
of  the  observations  of  these  celebrated  chemists  as 
to  the  composition  of  the  calculi,  and  earthy  concre- 
tions of  the  bladder  : — 

1.  Lithic  acid.  These  calculi  are  generally  of  an  oval 
form,  and  slightly  flattened  ;  of  a  brownish-red  color,  ap- 
proaching to  that  of  mahogany  ;  rather  smooth  on  the 
surface,  but  not  polished,  except  occasionally  from  fric- 
tion, when  there  are  two  or  more  calculi  in  the  same  blad- 
der. If  broken,  the  lithic  acid  calculi  split  into  concen- 
tric laminoe. 

*  Of  this  I  have  had  personal  experience,  having  suffered  all 
and  more  than  the  agonies  of  death  during  the  passage  of  a  stone 
through  the  ureter.  It  was  the  size  of  a  pea,  and  afterwards  passed 
off  with  the  urine. 

7* 


\ 


130  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

2.  Oxalate  of  lime.  Calculi  of  this  kind  arc  also 
distinguished  by  the  appellation  of  mulberry.  These  are 
of  a  dark-brown  color,  approaching  to  black  ;  rough  and 
tuberculated  on  the  surface,  very  hftrd,  and  imperfectly 
laminated. 

3.  The  triple  phosphate  of  ammonia  and  magnesia. 
This  salt  forms  a  fragile  calculus,  and  when  broken  it  does 
not,  like  the  lithic-acid  calculus,  split  into  concentric 
laminae.  The  surface  of  it  is  uneven,  covered  with  mi- 
nute crystals. 

4.  Phosphate  of  lime.  Calculi  composed  of  this  sub- 
stance, unmixed  with  other  calculous  matter,  are  rarely 
found  in  the  bladder  ;  and  when  they  are,  there  is  reason 
to  suspect,  from  Dr.  Prout's  observations,  that  they  have 
their  origin  in  the  secretions  of  the  bladder  itself,  and  not 
iu  the  urine.  These  calculi  are  of  a  pale-brown  color, 
and  of  a  laminated  structure. 

5.  Although  it  is  rarely  that  we  find  a  bladder-calcu- 
lus composed  altogether  of  phosphate  of  lime,  we  fre- 
quently find  this  salt  existing  in  combination  with  the 
triple  phosphate  of  ammonia  and  magnesia.  This  mixed 
calculus  is  of  a  white  color ;  friable  ;  not  unlike  a  mass 
of  chalk  in  appearance  ;  not  in  general  laminated.  It 
melts  into  a  vitreous  substance  when  exposed  to  heat  in 
the  flame  of  a  blowpipe  ;  and  hence  it  has  received  the 
name  of  the  fusible  calculus.  Neither  of  the  two  salts, 
of  which  it  is  composed,  (that  is,  neither  the  triple  phos- 
phate, nor  the  phosphate  of  lime,)  melt  in  this  manner 
when  exposed  to  heat  singly,  although  they  are  so  easily 
fused  when  in  combiuatiuu  with  each  other. 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        131 

6.  Lithate  of  ammoDia.  This  variety  of  calculus  is  of 
a  clay  color  ;  sometimes  it  is  smooth,  and  at  other  times 
tuberculated  on  its  surface  :  it  is  composed  of  concentric 
layers.  Dr.  Prout  regards  it  as  being  almost  peculiar  to 
children. 

7.  Lithate  of  soda.  This  is  a  rare  calculus,  of  a  white 
color,  like  the  chalk-stones  of  gout,  probably  formed 
where  the  patient,  having  a  lithic-acid  diathesis,  takes 
large  quantities  of  soda.  I  was  first  informed  of  the  ex- 
istence of  this  kind  of  calculus  by  Dr.  Prout.  In  our 
collection  of  calculi  you  will  see  a  fine  specimen  of  it, 
with  a  deposit  of  pure  lithic  acid  on  its  surface  :  probably 
there  is  a  nucleus  of  pure  lithic  acid  also. 

8.  Cystic  oxide.  This  is  a  very  rare  kind  of  calculus  : 
it  is  of  a  white  color  ;  and,  when  broken,  it  is  found  (to 
use  Dr.  Prout's  own  words)  not  to  be  lammated,  but  ap- 
pearing as  one  mass,  confusedly  crystallized  throughout 

its  substance. 

9.  Calculi  are  sometimes  composed  of  carbonate  of 
lime,  but  these  are  of  very  rare  occurrence  indeed  :  the 
carbonate  of  lime,  however,  is  frequently  blended  in 
small  quantity  with  other  ingredients. 

10.  Dr.  Marcet  has  also  described  a  variety  of  calcu- 
lus under  the  name  of  xanthic  oxide  ;  and  another  under 
that  of  the  fibrinous  calculus. 

11.  The  fibrinous  calculus  appears  to  be  composed  of 
the  fibrine  of  the  blood.  I  have  never  met  with  but  one 
example  of  it.  This  was  of  an  oval  shape,  about  the 
size  of  a  horse-bean,  yellow,  semi-transparent,  not  very 
unlike  amber  in  appearance,  but  less  hard.      When  dried, 


132  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

it  shrunk  to  a  small  size,  and  became,  as  it  were,  shriv- 
eled. I  found  it  in  the  bladder  after  death,  where  no 
disease  of  the  urinary  organs  had  been  suspected  during 
life,  but  where  the  kidneys  were  found  to  have  been  dis- 
eased when  the  body  was  examined  after  death.  There 
can  be  little  doubt  that  the  kidneys  had  secreted  albumen 
with  the  urine  ;  and  if  we  consider  how  near  fibrine  and 
albumen  are  to  each  other  in  their  chemical  composition, 
we  cannot  but  suspect  the  fibrinous  calculus  to  be  a  dep- 
osition from  albuminous  urine.  Unfortunately,  in  this 
instance,  the  chemical  properties  of  the  urine  had  not 
been  examined. 

In  some  cases  we  find  a  calculus  composed  throughout 
of  one  of  the  substances,  which  have  been  described, 
nearly  pure  ;  but  at  other  times  we  find  these  substances 
variously  combined  with  each  other.  The  best  mode  of 
examining  a  calculus  is  to  have  it  sawn  through  the  cen- 
ter. We  then  find,  that,  in  some  of  the  compound  cal- 
culi, the  difi"ercnt  substances  are  disposed  in  layers,  the 
lithic  acid  distinct  from  the  oxalate  of  lime  ;  the  oxalate 
of  lime  distinct  from  the  triple  phosphate,  and  so  on  ; 
while  in  others  they  are  intimately  blended  together. 

It  is  only  when  they  are  divided  in  the  manner  which 
I  have  mentioned,  that  we  can  learn  the  true  history  of 
the  formation  of  calculi.  As  jVIr.  Brande  long  ago  ob- 
served, the  center  or  nucleus  is  generally  either  lithic 
acid  or  oxalate  of  lime.  In  many  cases,  the  additions  to 
the  calculus  are  of  the  same  chemical  composition  with 
the  nucleus  ;  in  other  cases,  we  find  the  lithic  acid  depos- 
ited on   the  outside  of  the  oxalate  of  lime  ;  and  more 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         133 

rarely,  the  oxalate  of  lime  is  deposited  on  the  surface  of 
the  lithic  acid.  The  deposit  of  lithic  acid,  or  oxalate  of 
lime,  may  take  place  in  the  bladder,  where  there  is  no 
evident  disturbance  of  the  general  health.  If  the  gene- 
ral health  becomes  affected,  and  the  bodily  powers  of  the 
patient  are  impaired,  either  from  the  irritation  of  the  stone 
in  the  bladder,  or  from  any  other  cause,  the  urine  be- 
comes alkaline,  and,  in  consequence,  the  subsequent  ad- 
ditions to  the  calculus  are  formed  of  the  triple  phosphate 
of  ammonia  and  mag-nesia.  When  the  calculus  has  ex- 
isted  for  some  time  in  the  bladder,  it  frequently  happens, 
and  indeed  it  always  happens,  sooner  or  later,  that  the 
mucous  membrane  becomes  inflamed  ;  and  an  adhesive, 
tenacious  mucus  is  secreted,  which  contains  phosphate  of 
lime  ;  and  this,  being  blended  with  the  triple  phosphate, 
constitutes  the  fusible  calculus.  Calculi  formed  in  the 
ducts  of  the  prostate  gland,  as  I  shall  explain  hereafter, 
are  composed  of  phosphate  of  lime,  pure,  or  nearly  so. 
But  whatever  may  be  the  condition  of  the  bladder,  it  is  a 
very  rare  occurrence  to  find  a  simple  phosphate  of  lime  cal- 
culus in  it.  In  cases  of  chronic  inflammation  of  the  blad- 
der, the  phosphate  of  lime  is  deposited  by  the  mucus  in 
small  masses,  but  these  nuclei  being  exposed  to  the  contact 
of  the  urine,  and  the  health  becoming  impaired,  as  always 
is  the  case  under  these  circumstances,  the  triple  phosphate 
is  added  to  the  phosphate  of  lime,  so  as  to  constitute  the 
fusible  calculus. 

For  these  latter  observations  I  am  indebted  to  Dr. 
Prout.  He  has  also  furnished  us  with  a  knowledge  of 
the  following  most  important  and  interesting  facts  in  the 


134  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

history  of  calculous  formations.  There  are  but  few  cases 
in  which  the  phosphates  form  the  nucleus  of  a  calculus  ; 
.  .,  but  being  once  deposited,  they  continue  to  be  so,  and  are 
not  followed  by  other  depositions.  The  phosphates  may 
succeed  the  lithic  acid,  or  the  oxalate  of  lime  ;  but  nei- 
ther of  these  ever  succeed  the  phosphates.  If  the  exter- 
nal surface  of  a  calculus  is  composed  cither  of  the  lithic 
acid,  or  of  the  oxalate  of  lime,  you  may  be  certain  that 
there  are  no  phosphates  in  the  interior  ;  whereas,  if  there 
are  the  phosphates  on  the  outside,  the  general  rule,  to 
which  there  are  but  few  exceptions,  is,  that  some  other 
substance  lies  underneath.  When  a  vesical  calculus  is 
sawn  into  two  equal  parts,  the  nucleus  is  seen  in  the 
center,  the  calculous  matter  being  deposited  equally,  or 
at  least  symmetrically,  on  every  side.  There  are,  how- 
ever, exceptions  to  this  rule,  and  occasionally  we  see  the 
nucleus  near  one  surface  of  the  calculus,  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  center.  Mr.  Cross  has  explained  how 
this  happens.  The  patient  being  confined  to  the  recum- 
bent posture,  the  calculus  does  not  change  its  place  in 
the  bladder,  and  the  fresh  deposits  take  place  only  on  the 
exposed  surface.* 

Calculous  disorders  prevail  differently  in  different 
classes  of  society,  among  individuals  of  different  ages, 
and  in  different  climates  and  districts. 

The  number  of  cases  will  depend  upon  the  quan- 
tity of  solid  matter  contained  in  the  water  and  food 
upon  which  the  inhabitants  daily  subsist.     Since  the 

*  Cross  on  the  Urinary  Calculi,  p.  13. 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        135 

Croton  water  has  been  introduced  into  the  city  of 
New  York,  there  has  not  been  one  case  of  sand  or 
stone  in  the  bladder,  where  previously  there  were  ten, 
and  I  have  known  many  who  were  greatly  afflicted 
with  gravel  who  have  entirely  recovered  by  drinking 
the  Croton  water. 

To  everybody  blessed  with  eyes  and  reason,  it 
would  seem  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world, 
that  it  must  be  self-evident  mankind  owe  all  these 
Earthy  Concretions  to  the  Food  and  Drink. 
This  conclusion  is  logical  and  irresistible. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Continuation  of  same  subject. 

From  the  foregoing  cliapter,  it  will  be  evident,  tbat 
from  the  food  the  blood  is  made,  and  from  the  blood 
is  the  whole  system  repaired,  and  the  seeds  of  disease 
sown.  Every  day  we  eat  impure  and  earthy  food, 
every  day  we  drink  liquid  impurities  held  in  solution 
even  in  the  clearest  streams,  and  the  fact  necessarily 
follows,  that  to  this  cause  must  we  look  for  the  origin  of 
many  diseases,  especially  Gravel  and  Stone,  Bladder, 
Kidney,  Scrofula,  Dropsy,  Brittle  Bones,  Rigid  Mus- 
cles, and  Death  from  Old  Age.  Well  may  Benjamin 
Brodie  exclaim,  "  We  must  stop  the  formation  of 
this  sand  !"  But  as  neither  he,  nor  any  others,  has 
traced  its  commencement  to  the  Food,  the  insufficien- 
cy of  medical  art  has  been  apparent.  Names  of  the 
most  venerated  character,  men  of  the  most  profound 
attainments  in  medical  science,  have  never  done  more 
in  this  department  than  experimentalize  upon  the 
symptoms,  as  seen  in  gravel,  gout,  and  similar  ap- 
pearances. The  Original  Causes  have  been  en- 
tirely overlooked.  This  insufficiency  of  medical 
knowledge  is  the  great  support  of  quackery  at  the 
present  moment.  The  sick  do  not  easily  abandon 
hope,  but  readily  give  credit  to  promises  of  cure  ; 


THE  CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.      137 

and  where  art  and  science  avail  nothing,  it  is  little 
wonder  that  patients  fly  to  empirical  pretenders,  as 
drowning  men  catch  at  straws.  We  must  reach  the 
Cause,  and  the  Effects  will  cease. 

Health  and  Disease  may  be  compared  to  two 
streams.  The  sluggish  waters  of  the  one  scarcely 
exhibit  any  motion.  Being  constantly  filled  with  the 
grossest  impurements,  many  offensive  obstructions 
and  hurtful  vapors  are  generated  along  its  banks. 
These  in  time  become  widely  diffused,  so  that  the 
whole  atmosphere  becomes  loaded  with  minute  but 
poisoned  arrows,  which  shoot  forth  Diseases  of  every 
character,  and  ultimately  Death.  If  you  trace  this 
stream  back,  you  will  find  that  its  source  is  impure 
necessarily,  because  the  Fountain  from  which 
IT  proceeds  is  itself  the  source  of  corrup- 
tion.    (The  Food  and  Drink.) 

The  other  stream  glides  along  like  a  laughing  child 
at  play.  The  waters  are  clear  as  crystal.  The  flowers 
that  line  the  margin,  on  either  side,  are  grateful,  and 
as  they  kiss  the  stream,  an  invisible  spirit,  breathing 
the  sweetest  incense,  walks  forth  on  the  pellucid  wa- 
ters. Everything  is  rendered  beautiful  by  the  pre- 
sence of  the  stream.  Follow  this  stream  to  its 
source,  and  you  will  find  it  a  little  rill  welling  up 
from  the  filter  of  purity. 

So  it  is  in  the  application.  If  the  springs  of  ex- 
istence, that  is  the  food,  drink  and  air,  be  pure  and 
elevated,  the  stream,  or  blood,  will  be  transparent 


138  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

and  beautiful.  Ileiicc  nothing  can  be  more  essential 
than  a  strict  obedience  to  the  physical  and  organic 
laws.  Wlien  these  are  faithfully  observed,  the  pre- 
existing conditions  are  rendered  favorable,  health  and 
purity  do  not  clog  nor  rust  the  hinges  of  life. 

Let  the  reader  seriously  remember  that  in  the  pre- 
ceding pages,  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  solve  the 
mysteries  of  Health  and  Death,  either  dogmati- 
cally, or  upon  anything  like  fanciful  or  theoretical 
grounds.  A  plain,  straightforward,  common  sense, 
practical  mode  of  investigation  has  been  adopted,  the 
result  of  which  has  been  an  unequivocal  answer  to 
the  question. 

Why  does  Old  Age  terminate  in  Death  ?  The 
answer  is  summed  up  in  a  few  words,  viz.  : — 

1st.  The  body,  throughout  the  whole  period  of 
life,  is  subject  to  a  process  of  consolidation. 

2.  This  process  of  consolidation  consists  in  the 
gradual  deposition  of  earthy  substances  (principally 
phosphate  and  carbonate  of  lime) ;  by  which  the  va- 
rious parts  become  ossified,  or  converted  into  matter 
approaching  the  nature  of  bone. 

3d.  This  conversion  into  bone  destroys  the  flexi- 
bility of  the  vessels,  muscles,  and  other  parts  subject 
to  motion  ;  renders  the  blood  thick  and  glutinous, 
^nd  entirely  chokes  up  the  minute  or  capillary  arte- 
^.es  ;  so  that  the  circulation  of  the  fluids,  and  the 
action  of  the  system  generally,  diminish  and  termin- 
ate in  death. 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        139 

4th. — The  mtroduction  into  the  body  of  the  earthy 
matter,  which  by  thus  accumulating,  produces  what 
is  called  "  Natural  death,"  or  death  from  old  age, 
maybe  so  controlled,  that  active  vigorous  life  may 
be  prolonged  at  pleasure,  and  Urinary  and  Kidney 
Diseases  Prevented. 

The  only  means  then  by  which  health  and  life  can 
be  secured,  consist  in  first  ascertaining  the  nature 
and  influence  of  the  elements  concerned  in  organiza- 
tion ;  secondly,  learning  to  detect  excess  or  deficiency 
in  any  one  or  more  of  these  elements ;  and  thirdly, 
obtaining  the  knowledge  or  power  to  supply  when 
deficient,  or  abstract  them  when  they  superabound. 
Thus  preserving  health  and  life  by  maintaining  an 
equilibrium  of  the  elements  of  which  the  body  is 
essentially  composed. 


CHAPTER  X. 

On  the  Cause  of  Motion^  Secretion^  Digestion^  §'c.  ; 
and  the  JVature  and  Composition  of  the  Brain  and 
JYervous  System. 

It  has  been  distinctly  ascertained,  that  every  part 
of  the  body  concerned  in  motion  is  penetrated  by  one 
or  more  divisions  of  the  nervous  system. 

That  if  any  one  of  these  divisions  or  branches  be 
cut  asunder,  the  part  thus  separated  is  no  longer 
capable  of  motion. 

That  if  the  stomach  be  filled  with  food,  and  cer- 
tain nerves  connecting  it  with  the  brain  be  divided, 
or  even  tied  down,  the  food  will  remain  unchanged, 
digestion  will  cease. 

That  if  the  nerves  leading  to  the  kidneys,  or  to 
the  lungs,  or  to  any  other  part,  be  similarly  divided, 
the  secretion  of  urine  ceases  ;  the  process  of  respi- 
ration is  suspended,  and  the  functions  of  every  part 
thus  separated  disappear. 

In  cases  where  the  suspension  of  any  function 
arises  from  the  nerve  being  pressed  down  or  tied 
down  only,  instead  of  cut  asunder,  immediately  the 
pressure  is  removed  the  function  recommences. 

These  demonstrable  facts  are  quite  sufficient  to 
warrant  the  conclusion  that  motion,  secretion,  diges- 
tion, and  other  characteristics   of  living  organised 


THE  CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.      141 

beings,  such  as  man,  depend  upon  the  brain  and  ner- 
vous system. 

Having  ascertained  that  the  brain  is  the  source  of 
power  to  the  body,  it  becomes  a  most  important  ques- 
tion, Tvhat  is  the  cause  of  this  power  1  Before  this 
can  be  answered,  we  must  first  ascertain  the  differ- 
ences which  exist  between  the  substance  of  the  brain 
and  nerves,  and  the  less  or  nonsensitive  parts  of  the 
system.  The  following  table,  exhibiting  the  average 
proportions  of  substances  entering  into  the  composi- 
tion of  bone,  muscle,  blood  and  brain  will  enable  us 
to  give  this  answer  with  the  utmost  certainty  : — 

Bone.    Muscle    Blood.  Brain, 
or  Flesh. 

Gelatine  30  7  0      0 

Albumen 0        22  3      7 

Ormazome  0  0  2       1.5 

Phosphate,  Sulphate  and  Carbonate 

of  Lime;  also  Sulphates,  IMuri- 

ates  and  Phosphates  of  Soda, 

Potass,  Ammonia,  &c 70  2         12       6 

White,  fatty  matter,  somewhat  like 

Spermaceti 0  0  0       5 

Free  Phosphorus ^, 0  0  0      2.5 

Water 0        69        83      78 

100      100      100    100 

From  this  table  we  perceive  that  the  only  differ- 
ence between  the  composition  of  the  brain  and  the 
rest  of  the  body,  is  the  presence  of  white  fat-like 
matter  and  phosphorus  ;  but,  as  the  fatty  matter  is 
composed  of  the  same  elements  as  the  ordinary  flesh, 


142  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

dijQfering  only  in  proportion,  wc  must  conclude  that 
the  presence  of  Pliosphorus  alone  gives  the  brain  its 
peculiar  properties  and  activity. 

It  is  also  a  fact  that  the  proportion  and  variation 
of  phosphorus  in  the  brain  is  found  to  correspond 
"VN'ith  the  differences  in  the  characters  through  life. 
Idiots  have  very  little — lively,  intelligent  persons 
have  much.  Throughout  the  Avhole  animal  and  vege- 
table "worlds,  the  degree  of  susceptibility,  sensi- 
bility, vitality  and  power  is  evidently  owing  to,  and 
has  been  found  to  correspond  with,  the  proportion 
of  phosphorus  in  their  composition. 

Since,  then,  it  is  such  an  agent  of  both  intellectual 
and  physical  power  and  vitality,  it  forms  a  very  im- 
portant branch  of  this  treatise,  to  elicit  the  means 
of  supplying  it  to  the  body  generally,  and  the  brain 
particularly,  in  order  to  promote  the  development  of 
each  to  the  greatest  extent. 

The  following  table  will  exhibit  the  proportions  of 
phosphoric  acid  in  a  few  articles  : — 

100,000  parts  of 

Linseed  contain  of  phosphoric  acid 
Stalks  of  do.       "  " 


(C  (C 


(( 


Carrots,  (dry) 

Leaves  of  do.  " 

Lucern  "  " 

Beans,  "  « 

Barley,  (dry)  "  « 

Peas  "  « 

Buckwheat  "  « 


880] 

parts. 

118 

395 

963 

353 

292 

210 

190 

170 

CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        143 

100,000  parts  of 

Beet-root,  (dry)  contain  of  phosphoric  acid  167  parts. 
Leaves  of  do.  "  "  690      " 

Parsnip  »  "  HI       " 

Leaves  of  do.         "  "  1T84      " 

It  is  also  found  in  considerable  abundance  in  the 
grape,  sage,  onions,  oysters,  and  shell-fish  generally, 
sugar-cane  juice  (but  not  in  refined  sugars),  kidney 
beans,  cloves,  pine-apples,  turtle,  eels,  plaice,  tripe, 
and  the  gelatinous  parts  of  animals,  and  also  in 
many  roots,  fruits,  leaves,  stalks,  &c.,  of  vegetables 
and  fruits. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

General  Suinmary  and  Practical  Suggestions, 

From  the  preceding  chapters  may  be  gathered  the 
following  conclusions  : — 

1st.  That  the  living  human  body  is  a  mechanical 
structure,  consisting  of  elastic,  movable  solids,  vascu- 
lar branches,  porous  masses,  and  circulating  fluids. 

2d.  That  these  solids  and  fluids  are  composed  of 
various  organic  and  inorganic  elements — constituting, 
in  fact,  a  chemical  compound  : — 

The  whole  unceasingly  acted  upon  and  kept  in 
motion  by  the  "  Divinity  which  stirs  within  us.^^ 

3d.  If  the  Blood,  as  the  chief  fluid  of  the  system, 
be  unopposed,  unobstructed  in  the  vessels  and  cham- 
bers which  contain  it,  simple,  mechanical  change,  or 
"  circulation,"  is- produced.  If,  however,  resistance 
is  ofiered  in  the  vessels,  and  either  the  whole  or  a 
part  of  the  blood  becomes  nearly  or  entirely  station- 
ary, then  chemical  change,  or  decomposition^  consti- 
tuting disease  in  various  forms,  especially  Bladder, 
and  Urethra,  is  the  result. 

Illustrations. — If  the  materials  for  making  ale 
or  wine  be  kept  in  constant  motion,  mechanically,  no 
chemical  change,  or  fermeiitation,  will  take  place. 

The   same  in  making  bread.     The  flour,  water, 


THE  CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.      145 

yeast,  &c.,  "will  not  ferment,  no  chemical  change  will 
be  produced,  if  the  whole  be  kept  in  a  state  of  agita- 
tion, or  mechanical  change. 

Water,  although  confined  in  vessels,  if  kept  in 
constant  motion,  will  remain  pure  ;  but  when  allowed 
to  be  at  rest,  putridity,  or  decomposition,  soon  oc- 
curs. Brooks  and  rivulets  preserve  their  sweetness, 
whilst  stagnant  waters  quickly  become  subject  to  de- 
cay, or  chemical  change. 

So  it  is  with  the  body.  As  long  as  the  fluids  cir- 
culate freely^  or  move  mechanically^  no  decay,  or 
chemical  change  can  occur  ;  but  the  moment  obstruc- 
tion takes  place,  and  the  blood  stagnates,  decompo- 
sition commences,  the  degree  and  rapidity  of  which 
indicate  the  extent  and  severity  of  the  consequent 
disease  ! 

"  It  cannot  he  told  in  fewer  words,  than  that 
Health  is  a  free  circulation,  and  that  Sickness  is 
an  obstructed  circulation  of  the  hlood.^^ — Harvey, 
the  Discoverer  of  the  Circulation. 

4th.  The  comparative  fixidity  and  rest  of  the  solid 
parts  of  the  body,  render  them  subject  to  chemical 
change,  or  decomposition — constituting  their  decay, 
or  waste  of  the  system. 

5th.  The  free  mechanical  motion  or  "  circulation" 
of  the  blood,  throughout  and  among  the  solids,  is  es- 
sentially necessary  to  the  supply  of  new  matter,  that 
the  wasted  or  diminished  parts  may  be  restored. 
This  constitutes  in  full  the  process  of  nutrition, 
8 


14G  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

Gth.  The  blood  thus  depositing  in  its  course  the 
elements  of  restoration  and  rene^wal,  necessarily  re- 
quires, for  a  continuation  of  this  process,  to  be  re- 
charged with  nutritious  matter. 

7th.  This  re-supply  of  nutriment  is  derived  from 
food.  Hence  alone,  the  necessity  for  eating  and 
drinking.  If  the  body  were  not  subject  to  chemical 
change  or  decay,  no  food  or  drink  would  be  required 
to  preserve  its  identity  ! 

8th.  Diflferent  kinds  of  food  possess  different  pro- 
perties. Some  are  lightly,  others  heavily  charged 
with  earthy  substances  ;  which,  depositing  in  the  tis- 
sues, fibers,  and  vessels  of  tJie  body,  render  them 
rigid  and  resisting  ;  obstruct  the  circulation  of  the 
blood,  create  disease,  produce  the  infirmities  of  old 
age,  decrepitude,  and  finally  result  in  that  solid, 
choked-up,  immovable,  insensitive  state,  called  "  Nat- 
ural Death." 

Illustrations. — The  waters  of  different  springs 
and  rivei^s  hold  in  solution  different  proportions  of 
earthy  and  saline  matters,  and  the  vessels  in  which 
these  waters  are  boiled  and  evaporated  become  more 
or  less  incrusted  or  "  furred-up  ;"  the  degree  and 
extent  of  incrustation  being  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  solid  matter  held  in  solution. 

Different  kinds  of  coal,  wood,  or  other  fuel,  contain 
different  proportions  of  inorganic  elements  ;  and  after 
combustion,  leave  different  quantities  of  ashes. 

So  it  is  with  the  food  of  man.     The  proportion  of 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.        147 

inorganic  elements  in  general,  but  of  earthy  matters 
in  particular,  is  exceedingly  various,  and  tends,  cor- 
respondingly, to  the  consolidation  and  inactivity  of 
the  body. 

So  a^ain,  some  kinds  of  food  are  more  liable  to 
chemical  change  or  decomposition  than  others.  Hence 
it  is  that  articles  of  diet  differ  in  value. 

Illustrations. — Some  kinds  of  fuel  burn  away, 
or  decompose,  much  more  rapidly  than  others.  One 
kind  of  coal,  for  instance,  is  much  "  swifter"  than 
another.  Oak  wood  again  will  not  burn  so  quickly 
as  pine,  and  other  light  timber. 

Different  fluids  ferment  and  decay,  with  different 
degrees  of  rapidity.  Sugar  and  water,  flour  and 
water,  and  different  vegetable  decoctions,  quickly  de- 
compose, and  form  vinegar  and  other  products ; 
whilst  solutions  of  animal  and  vegetable  matter  im- 
pregnated with  different  acids,  minerals,  eai'ths,  and 
neutral  salts,  will  preserve  their  condition  for  various 
lengthy  periods. 

So  with  food.  Some  kinds  decompose,  and  pass 
away  much  sooner  than  others.  The  substances 
which  resist  chemical  change,  and  preserve  their 
identity  in  the  body  for  the  longest  period,  are  the 
most  valuable  as  food,  the  most  conducive  to  health 
and  activity,  destroy  the  necessity  of  eating  and 
drinking  for  the  longest  period,  and  thus  prove  the 
most  economical  in  the  end,  whatever  might  have 
been  their  original  cost.     (See  Table  of  Digestion.) 


148  AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE 

9th.  The  direct  cause  of  obstruction  is  the  pres- 
ence of  earthy,  inorganic  matter,  deposited  in  the 
system  by  the  blood,  and  derived  originally  from  the 
food  and  drink. 

10th.  The  cause  for  the  necessity  for  the  food  and 
drink,  is  the  constant  decay  or  decomposition  of  the 
system  ;  the  extent  and  rapidity  of  which  depends 
solely  upon  the  composition  of  the  body  as  a  whole — 
upon  the  degree  of  resistance  it  offers  to  chemical 
change. 

Here  then,  at  present,  is  the  termination  of  my 
investigations  into,  and  observations  of,  the  grand 
secret  to  preserve  health,  activity,  and  life,  almost  at 
pleasure !  That  secret,  which  the  philosophers  of 
all  ages  have  sought  in  vain  to  discover,  and  which 
was  the  object  of  all  which  ancient  fictions  fabled  of, 
and  the  end  of  all  the  ''Magic  Mixtures  and  Elix- 
irs Vitce  ."'  A  few  words  will  express  this  secret, 
and  embody  the  substance  of  many  years'  anxious 
labor  and  investigation.  Check  the  waste  or  decom- 
position of  the  body,  and  thus  diminish  the  iiecessity 
for  eating  and  drinking  !  In  proportion  as  this  can 
be  done,  the  deposition  of  earthy  substances  in  the 
body,  the  consequence  of  obstruction  to  the  circula- 
tion of  the  blood,  and  liability  to  disease,  decrepitude 
and  death  will  be  prevented  ! 

There  is  no  law  of  nature  which  limits  the  period 
of  human  life  !     On  the  contrary,  disease  and  death 


CAUSE  OF  NATURAL  DEATH.         149 

are  consequeiices  of  violated  natural  laws  !  Health 
and  Life,  so  far  as  the  physical  structure  is  con- 
cerned, are  placed  pretty  much  in  our  own  keeping  ; 
and  in  this  respect  ignorance  is  the  curse  of  man- 
kind. The  wise  man  hath  said,  "  Seek  not  death  in 
the  error  of  your  life  ;  and  pull  not  upon  yourselves 
destruction  with  the  works  of  your  hands." 

"  Fools  die  for  want  of  wisdom." 


159 


AUTHORITATIVE    PROOFS. 

VTf.  find  the  humau  system  composed  in  the  foetus  almost  entirely  of  a  soft 
{Tclatinous  substance.  It  is  born,  and  gradually  acquires  more  and  more  con- 
sistenc  V— it  grows  cartilaginous— its  structure  becomes  firmer— its  functions 
more  powerfully  exercised— its  system  better  developed.  At  length  the  child 
becomes  a  strong  man,  with  a  po'lishcd  and  unyielding  frame  of  marble  ;  the 
bones  are  formed  chiefly  of  solid  lime,  fJ4  percent.,  and  flint  and  iron  are  found 
in  the  blood.  Whence  came  all  these  solid  substances  ?  They  were  not  born 
with  it— but  grew  with  it— formed  after  the  being  was  complete— a/Vw-  the  soft 
parts  and  not  before— they  grew  with  its  growth  and  increased  with  its 
strength.  There  is  only  one  inlet  to  the  system  by  which  they  must  have  en- 
tered—the stomach,  and  been  taken  up  by  the  tiny  absorbents.— Dr.  0. 
Gregory. 

'■Were  the  physical  condition  of  man  always  perfect  and  the  mental  state 
always  that  of  ciijovment.  the  duration  of  life  would  always  be  extended  to 
the  utmost  limit  compatible  with  the  organization  of  the  human  body.  But 
As  this  fortunate  concurrence  seldom  or  never  happens,  human  life  seldom 
or  never  numbers  the  full  measure  of  its  days. 

"  An  advanced  term  of  life  and  decrepitude  are  commonly  conceived  to 
he  synomvmous  ;  the  extension  of  life  is  vulgarly  supposed  to  be  the  pro- 
traction of  the  period  of  infirmity  and  suffering.  But  this  is  so  far  from  be- 
ing true  that  it  is  not  within  the  compass  of  human  power  to  protract,  in 
any  sensible  degree,  the  period  of  old  age  properly  so  called.  But  though 
when  fully  come  the  term  of  old  age  cannot  be  extended,  the  coming  of  the 
TKRM  MAV  BE  POSTPONED.  To  the  preceding  stage  an  indefinite  number  of 
years  may  be  added.  And  this  is  a  fact  of  the. deepest  interest  to  human  nar 
ture. 

"  In  all  places  under  all  circumstances  at  a  given  time,  though  not  pre- 
cisely at  the  same  time  in  all  climates  and  under  all  modes  of  life,  infancy 
passes  into  childhood,  childhood  into  boyhood,  boyhood  into  adolescence,  and 
adolescence  into  manhood.  At  34  years  of  age  every  adult  man  will  have 
acquired  his  highest  state  of  physical  perfection.  But  at  what  period  will 
this  state  of  physical  perfection  decline  ?  What  is  the  maximum  time  dur- 
ing which  it  can  retain  its  full  vigor  ?  Is  that  maximum  fixed  ?  Is  there  a 
certain  number  of  years  in  which  by  an  inevitable  law  every  adult  man  ne- 
cessarily becomes  an  old  man  ?  " — Dr.  Soiilhwood  Smith. 

"  There  is  a  lack  of  philosophy  and  reason  in  attempting  to  prove  by  a  few 
rare  examples  that  either  vcgcta'ble  or  animal  food  is  to  be  used  to  the  entire 
exclusion  of  the  other  ;  and  to  prove  that  all  men  need  but  little  food  from  a 
few  cases  of  extreme  abstinence.  Cornaro  is  the  standard  now-a-days— the 
mirror  by  which  every  man's  nature  is  to  be  reflected— the  great  exemplar 
which  every  man  is  to  imitate.  Lewis  Cornaro  was  a  Venetian  nobleman, 
who  by  dissipation  and  debaucherv,  at  an  early  age  ruined  his  health  and 
broke  down  his  constitution  ;  but  by  the  advice  of  his  physicians  he  reduc- 
ed his  diet  to  twelve  ounces  of  solid  food  and  about  a  pint  of  wine  per  day. 
This  change  had  a  most  happv  eftect  upon  the  debauchee,  as  it  has  at  the 
present  dav,  and  will  ever  have"  on  all  who  undermine  their  health  and  the 
strength  of  their  system  by  the  same  cour.se  of  dissipation.  Cornaro  lived  to 
be  almost  a  hundred  years  old.  and  the  conclusion  is,  by  those  who  use  the 
scidcs  and  weights,  that  every  body  should  live  as  Cornaro  lived  after  he 
reformed  ;  and  so  indeed  they  should,  if  thoy  had  jircviously  lived  as  he  did, 
with  the  same  unhappy  etlect  upon  his  health.    This  mode  ol  reasoning  is 


AUTHORITATIVE    PROOFS.  151 

but  taking  the  exception  for  the  rule  itself;  and  by  it  we  may  prove  any 
thing,  and  make  of  a  single  isolated  fact,  a  general  principle  universal  in  its 
application.  Red  Jacket,  the  famous  chief  of  the  Seneca  Indians,  lived  chiefly 
as  the  other  nations  of  the  forest  do,  on  game,  and  exposed  to  all  the  vicissi- 
tudes and  inclemencies  of  our  variable  climate.  He  attained  almost  as  great 
an  age  as  C'ornaro  did,  and  yet  during  the  last  fifty  years  of  his  life  he  ■was 
almost  daily  intoxicated.  Does  this  prove  that  we  should  imitate  Red  Jack- 
et, in  order  to  live  to  a  good  old  age  .'" — Ticknor's  Philosophy  of  Living. 

"You  will  understand.  Gentlemen,  from  the  observations  which  1  have 
now  had  the  honor  of  addressing  to  you  that  in  selecting  the  medical  profes- 
sion you  have  set  yourselves  no  very  easy  task.  The  study  of  medicine  is, 
indeed,  an  arduous  undertaking.  The  most  comprehensive  mind,  and  the 
greatest  industry,  might  find  occupation  for  many  years  in  acquiring  the 
whole  circle  of  medical  knowledge  ;  you  will  have  reason  to  lament  that 
you  cannot  employ  a  longer  time  in  the  preliminary  studies  which  are  ne- 
cessary as  a  qualification  for  p-aclice,  and  the  active  duties  of  your  profes- 
sion ;  and  you  will  therefore  see  the  necessity  of  improving,  with  the  great- 
est diligence,  the  opportunities  of  information  that  you  now  possess,  aiiJ 
which  you  will  never  be  able  to  recall.  Let  me  observe,  at  the  same  time, 
that  among  all  the  various  objects  which  can  engage  tho  human  mind, 
there  is  no  better  exercise  of  the  intellectual  faculties,  no  more  attractive 
and  interesting  pursuit,  than  the  study  of  the  medical  profession  ;  while  its 
practice  has  the  most  salutary  moial  tendency  of  repressing  selfishness, 
calling  forth  and  strengtliening  all  the  benevolent  and  social  feelings.  Onr 
studies  embrace  all  the  most  interesting  parts  of  natural  knowledge.  Our 
first  and  immediate  object  is  to  learn  the  construction  of  our  own  frame,  the 
MEANS  Bv  WHICH  WE  LIVE,  AXD  MOVE,  and  havc  our  being  :  we  see  the  nature 
and  operation  of  all  those  influences  by  which  health  is  interrupted  and  re- 
stored, by  which  means  disease  and  suflcring  may  be  averted.  Chemistrv, 
natural  philosophy,  and  natural  historj-,  auxiliary  sciences,  are  more  or  less 
immediately  connected  with  the  primary  objects  of  our  pursuits.  Thus  we 
are  led  to  the  contemplation  and  study  of  nature,  and  the  investigation  of 
truth.  We  are  not  called  upon  to  defend  any  doctrines  or  systems,  or  to  up- 
hold any  set  of  opinions.  We  have  no  interest  at  variance  with  those  of  the 
community.  In  professional  intercourse  with  our  fellow-creatures,  we  are 
known  only  as  instruments  ol  good  ;  in  restoring  or  securing  health,  the 
greatest  of  blessings  ;  in  removing  pain  and  sickness,  the  greatest  of  evils  ; 
in  soothing  the  anguish  and  quieting  the  alarm  which  friends  and  relations 
feel  for  each  other  ;  in  protracting  the  approach  of  that  awful  moment,  from 
which  we  all  shrink  back  with  instinctive  dread — the  terftination  of  exist- 
ence. The  happiness  or  misery  of  life,  and  the  very  question  of  life  or 
death,  often  hang  on  our  decisions.  I  trust  that,  bearing  in  mind  the  serious 
nature  of  those  duties,  you  will  be  anxious  to  employ  the  short  period  of 
your  studies  to  the  greatest  advantage,  and  allow  no  opportunity  of  gaining 
knowledge  to  pass  unimproved  ;  you  will  thus  become  respected  members 
of  an  honorable  profession,  and  prepare  for  yourselves,  in  the  decline  of  life, 
the  sweetest  of  all  rewards,  the  retrospect  of  labors  devoted  to  the  good  of 
others." — Dr.  Laurence's  Lecture  deliiered  at  St.  Bartholomew'' s  Hospital,  London. 

"Cartilage  has  been  examined  with  veiy  considerable  precision,  and  found 
to  be  in  every  respect  coagulated  albumen,  and  alike  capable  of  being  con- 
verted into  gelatine.  This  cartilaginous  substance  is  the  portion  from  which 
bone  is  formed  ;  hence  the  reason,  why  they  are  so  soft  in  young  children, — 
afterwards  the  jthos-phate  of  lime  is  gradually  deposited,  to  give  tlie  bone  its  requi- 
site Jii'mness. ' ' — Hatchett. 

"  As  before  shown,  the  blood  contains  phosphate  of  lime  :  when  it  contains 
a  surjdus,  or  inwe  than  is  absorbed  or  taken  up  by  the  blood,  for  the  supjily 
required  for  the  general  fluids  and  organs  of  the  system,  ossifications  are 
sometimes  formed  near  the  heart,  or  in  the  coronary  artery,  and  likewise  in 
other  parts  of  the  body  :  these  formations  are  phospate  and  carbonate  of  lime. 
The  formation  on  the  internal  coats  of  an  artery,  lessens  its  calibre,  and  as 


152 


AUTHORITATIVE    PROOFS. 


nerves  arc  intimntely  connected  with  arteries,  nnd  blood  is  thrown  throup^'i 
arteries  in  volumes  from  tnc  lieart.  at  every  pulsation,  by  tlie  force  of  the 
volume  of  Mood  tlic  artery  is  slightly  enlaif^ctl,  and  by  passing  through  that 
])orti()n  of  tlie  aiteiy  whcie  tliis  ossilication  exists,  its  distention  would  be  so 
great  as  to  jirodiice  a  quick,  sharp  i);iin,  similar  to  that  of  a  knife." — Jamei 
Jolmaon,  M.D.,  Kditor  of  tlif  Mt.lico-C/iirurah'd  Jounud,  1819. 

"  From  what  has  been  now  said,  j  ou  will  be  convinced  that  much  time 
and  labor  will  be  required  for  the  acquisition  of  such  a  variety  of  knowledge, 
and  after  nil  it  can  be  but  imperfectly  attained.  I  say  this  after  more  than 
thirty  years"  acquaintance  with  the  subject  ;  every  day  serves  moie  and 
more  to  convince  me  of  the  imperfection  of  our  art.  There  are  a  great 
number  of  diseases  that  we  do  not  understand  sufficiently,  and  many  more 
that  we  cannot  cure.  This  ought  not.  however,  to  discourage  us  ;  it  ought 
rather  to  incite  us  to  greater  exertion,  which  will  not  go  unrewarded,  for 
the  science  of  medicine  is  progressive  and  is  making  daily  strides  towards 
})erf8ction.  "When  it  shall  have  abandoned  mystery  and  mercenary  views, 
(the  only  objects  with  which  it  appears  at  present  to  be  pursued.)  it  may  be 
expected  to  keep  pace  with  other  sciences,  and  become  as  liberal,  as  it  is 
unquestionably  useful  to  mankind.  In  the  mean  time  it  is  not  to  be  doubted, 
that  the  insufficiency  of  the  medical  art  is  the  great  support  of  quackery  at 
I)resent.  The  sick  do  not  easily  abandon  hope,  but  readily  give  credit  to 
promises  of  cure  ;  and  where  art  and  science  avail  nothing,  it  is  little  to  be 
wondered  at  that  patients  fly  to  empirical  pretenders,  as  drowning  men 
catch  at  straws." — Dr.  Clutterbuck' s  Lectures  an  the  Practice  aiid  Theory  of  Medi- 
cine.    (Set  Lajicet.) 

"  Ingemoi's  Svstem  of  Adulteration. — A  very  singular  instance  of  fraudu- 
lent ingenuity  has  just  been  detected,  in  connexion  with  the  manufacture  of 
isinglass,  an  article  very  extensively  used  by  brewers  and  distillers  for  re- 
fining liquors,  in  preparing  invalid's  food,  and  in  the  preparation  of  jellies, 
blancmange,  &c.  The  manufacture  of  isinglass  in  this  country,  consists  of 
merely  rolling  out  the  raw  material  into  thin  sheets,  and  cutting  them  into 
fine  shreds.  Previous  to  the  latter  process,  however,  the  ingenuity  alluded 
to  has  been  practised  by  inserting  a  sheet  of  common  gelatine  (an  extract 
from  hoofs,  bones,  &.C..  manufactured  in  the  same  manner,)  between  two 
sheets  of  isinglass,  and  uniting  the  whole  by  a  heavy  pressure  of  the  steam- 
engine  rollers.  Isinglass  costing  18s.  per  pound,  and  gelatine  not  being 
worth  more  than  fifteen  pence,  it  is  supposed  that  an  extensive  gain  has  beeu 
made  by  the  adulteration.  The  management  of  the  fraud  is  so  ingenious, 
that  it  is  by  no  means  easy  of  detection,  and  very  careful  examination  is  ne- 
cessary to  discover  the  imposition." — Dublin  Paper. 

How  xManv  Creatures  a  Man  of  Seventy  has  Eate.n — A  Cockerian  corres- 
pondent of  the  Gateshead  Observer  has  calculated  what  a  man  might  con- 
sume, on  an  average,  in  70  years.  "Taking  10  years  oflfor  infancy — which 
is  too  much." — Yes,  far  "too  much" — .Mamma's  darling  Jacky,  as  papa 
knows  to  his  cost,  is  carnivorous  long  before  the  completion  of  his  tenth 
year ;  but  "  taking  ten  years  off  for  infancy,"  although  "  it  is  too  much,-' 
and  allowing  a  man  four  pounds  of  flesh  meat  per  week,  (too  little  for  an  al- 
derman, but  more  than  a  burgess  can  get  hold  of,)  the  consumjjtion,  at  the 
close  of  three  score  years  and  ten,  amounts,  according  to  "our  own  "  ("ock- 
vr,  to  12,480  lbs.,  or  899  l-2st.  ;  or  to  256  sheep,  of  80  lbs.  each,  or  20  bullocks 
of  44  l-2st. ;  or  to  take  it  still  another  way,  to  78  sheep  and  10  bullocks, 
"  with  5st.  over,"  which  may  stand  for  fish,  poultry,  &c.,  "says  10  of  each  iu 
the  year,"  or  "  1,200  poultry,  1,200  fish."  But  "  if  we  take  it  in  shrimp  and 
.shell  fish,"  (and  "all  is  fish  "  that  comes  to  our  correspondent's  net,)  "heav- 
en only  knows  what  animal  life  is  destroyed  to  keep  up  the  life  of  that  one 
animal  man." 


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